musings on F3 Bethesda interview

Ruiner

Ruiner

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http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=1012

"Shack: I can't recall what Oblivion did, but will there be any install limit on Fallout 3?

Pete Hines: That's a good question. I don't actually know. "

Translation: 'Yes'.
(I predict secrurom)



Shack: So what about Steam? Are you guys thinking about getting Fallout 3 on there?

Pete Hines: We're thinking about a lot of stuff. I don't actually know if any of that is set in stone yet, but hopefully there will be multiple digital distribution options for folks that want to go that route.

Translation: Yes, and D2D and the others too, but I can't say so and piss off the publisher.
 
I dont care how good a game is, install limits = no purchase.
 
I liked this exchange:

Shack: Similar question in the sense that it's an issue that can be overblown. What kind of copy protection will be included on the PC version of Fallout 3?

Pete Hines: Pretty similar to what we did for Oblivion, which was--we basically don't do any--we do the mildest form possible. I actually don't know if I even want to get into what it is that we exactly do, but we try to be really noninvasive when it comes to that stuff. [ed- Oblivion employed a simple DVD check.]

And it is a pain in the ass--it is a pain in the ass that we have to do it at all in the first place. But when you spend tens of millions of dollars, we don't think it's right to just put something out there and let everybody do whatever they want and pass it around.

And to have to support all of that--which is often the unspoken thing that nobody really wants to point to. You can argue all day whether or not somebody would have bought a copy of a game they pirated, but you can't argue, and you will never win the argument that I'm not having to provide tech support for those folks. Because I know for a fact that we are. We catch those folks all the time, where we're providing support for somebody who turns out didn't actually pay for the game and just downloaded a copy.

I actually sported a big stupid looking grin when I read the bolded part.
 
mildest form possible. every time I re-install Oblivion (and I do own it, Knights of the Nine, and the Shivering isles) I have to remember that I need to uninstalled Roxio Media Creator because for some reason it's been deemed as h4x0r w4r3z by Bethesda...FUCKING ANNOYING. You knoiw what I do after I install all of them? no DVD crack, FTW.
 
Pete Hines said:
I don't actually know....I don't actually know...I actually don't know...
Click to expand...
Three simple questions. Three "I don't know"s. Why does Pete Hines get a paycheck, anyway?

The guy obviously isn't dodging. I mean, that's just obvious. Right? Right?
 
To me, he is dodging the questions. He's using evasive tactics since the answers might be a lot more in depth than he's willing to provide in an interview. When people say "I actually don't know" or "I really can't say" or "I don't have a clue" means they either know very well or left out of the loop intentionally by someone who does know. It seems to be a normal fad with people in the spotlight anymore... unless that person is all about being honest & truthful with anyone.
 
Another gem:
We don't have any specific data on it, but we can look across platforms, and when these two platforms are like this [gestures with a hand] and this platform is like this [raises a second hand much higher] and these two platforms you can't pirate games, and this one you can, you can start to draw some inferences as to what the cause for that gigantic chasm might be.
Click to expand...
According to Pete Hines, piracy simply doesn't exist on the X360 or the PS3. Amazing!
 
phide said:
But that isn't what he said. He said you "can't pirate games" on the console platforms, which is totally false.
Click to expand...

Send him an email and call him on it then. You'll get to watch as they release a followup.
 
Shack: Similar question in the sense that it's an issue that can be overblown. What kind of copy protection will be included on the PC version of Fallout 3?

Pete Hines: Pretty similar to what we did for Oblivion, which was--we basically don't do any--we do the mildest form possible. I actually don't know if I even want to get into what it is that we exactly do, but we try to be really noninvasive when it comes to that stuff. [ed- Oblivion employed a simple DVD check.]

...They certainly took their lumps when Steam first came out, but it does seem to be a pretty widely accepted method, and certainly the easier that we can make it without it being a pain in the ass, the more likely we are to do it.

We always talk about in our games, about wanting to avoid the negative. We want to remove anything that is a hindrance or an annoyance to the player, we're trying to just get to the game and have fun.
Click to expand...

What the fuck are you people complaining about? Right there he said it's going to be noninvasive and similar to Oblivion. You jump to some conspiracy theory just because he didn't answer a question how you'd like? He's VP of Public Relations, not the guy coding the game and working on every technical aspect.

You people will complain about the smallest damn thing. Play the game and try, for once, to just have some fun.
 
"You people"? Not all of us are complaining here. Some are pondering & conjecturing. I'm looking forward to playing FO3 without a shadow of a doubt & if its awesome, I'll be having a ton of fun. :p
 
Translating NDA talking head non-speak is an art.
Of course he knew the answers to those simple, very direct questions....release is less than a month off.
 
Riftsaw said:
hmmm it seems Fallout 3 is going to use Games for Windows: Live

http://pc.ign.com/articles/915/915081p1.html

I have absolutely NO experience with that particular service. Anyone wanna clue me in?
Click to expand...

It supports Achievements like the Xbox 360 does, and the client will also take care of patching and allow you to buy DLC when it comes out. They used to charge for multiplayer, but now the whole service is free. Not that that matters with Fallout 3.
 
Enough with the freaking minigames already (lockpicking)!! The bioshock plumbing thing was bad enough, and Mass Effect worse.
I hope they can mod that shi#t out.
 
Ruiner said:
Enough with the freaking minigames already (lockpicking)!! The bioshock plumbing thing was bad enough, and Mass Effect worse.
I hope they can mod that shi#t out.
Click to expand...

Mongo no like use brain!


dumb-Neanderthal.jpg
 
Ruiner said:
Minigames are signs of console port contamination.
Click to expand...

Funny becasue The Witcher which is one of the PC's all time greats has a yahtzee type dice game in it.:rolleyes: And its a Pure PC game through and through.
 
I don't think it matters, [Sagan]billions and billions[/Sagan] of Fallout fans will buy the game, despite them saying it's Oblivion with Gunz
 
phide said:
Yeah, people that don't like minigames are morons. High five!

:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

What about when Mongo [above] makes a toon named MongoPipCaveBoy with INT=1? I *do* hope Bethesda coded for that case by disabling the entire lockpick mini-game, since MongoPipCaveBoy lives for the chance to bash things including locked doors and chests.

MongoPipCaveBoy *does* use the lockpicks, though...... to pick his ears.
 
...But I LIKE bashing locks. And doors. And small animals. And large animals. And people! Especially people!

Puny metal pieces have no use opening a lock! Give me a rock! A sledgehammer! Anything blunt! And I'll show you the stupidity of those who think such things as puny locks can protect their valuables or safety!
 
I really want to play Fallout 3, but just as I did with Crysis WarHead and Bioshock, if it has anything near the draconian DRM scheme as those two, I won't buy it.
He did mention it will be something light like in Oblivion, which leaves me some hope, but if the publishers of the game, are the same as Oblivion (2K), then that hope is gone.
 
Krenum said:
Funny becasue The Witcher which is one of the PC's all time greats has a yahtzee type dice game in it.:rolleyes: And its a Pure PC game through and through.
Click to expand...

Yes. But in the witcher it was a gambling game, and you didn't need to do it at all except to make money. It was completely skippable. ME made me want to punch babies, because there really was no thinking involved, spin and click forward as fast as possible, if you fail, use gel.

At least bioshock took some thinking to solve, and you could equip biomods to make it easier to do.

Still, all in all, in an RPG, it should be the CHARACTERS stats that determine if i can open/activate/use whatever, not mine.

Minigames are fine as long as they are an additional fun aspect, and not a core game mechanic.
 
Krenum said:
Funny becasue The Witcher which is one of the PC's all time greats has a yahtzee type dice game in it.:rolleyes: And its a Pure PC game through and through.
Click to expand...

And KOTOR had Pazaak and Sloopracing, but you could completely skip them if you wanted (except for one race in KOTOR1).

Mass Effect's minigame in particular turned the game into *work*....tedious and repetitive when opening any locked object. If I wanted to play a flash puzzle game there are tons on the web. Devs are using them as a crutch to increase play time.

If content and missions are the beef in the CRPG hotdog, minigames are the lips and assholes.

From a game mechanics point of view ('action' CRPG/FPS hybrid) F3 won't be Oblivion with guns, but Mass Effect in post-nuclear DC....complete with minigame lockpicking (and possibly Securom too).
 
Ruiner said:
And KOTOR had Pazaak and Sloopracing, but you could completely skip them if you wanted (except for one race in KOTOR1).

Mass Effect's minigame in particular turned the game into *work*....tedious and repetitive when opening any locked object. If I wanted to play a flash puzzle game there are tons on the web. Devs are using them as a crutch to increase play time.

If content and missions are the beef in the CRPG hotdog, minigames are the lips and assholes.

From a game mechanics point of view ('action' CRPG/FPS hybrid) F3 won't be Oblivion with guns, but Mass Effect in post-nuclear DC....complete with minigame lockpicking (and possibly Securom too).
Click to expand...

Oh comon. You can't really call it Mass Effect in Post-nuclear DC without the dialog atmosphere and dynamic camera angles that accompany it.
 
TheToE! said:
I dont care how good a game is, install limits = no purchase.
Click to expand...

Same.

You've forced our hands devs, we have to vote with our wallets before this gets out of hand, I hope one day you realise that what you're doing is completely asinine before you drive away your only source of income, the players that actually intend to buy the game!
 
CD-ROM check = no purchase

Why should I have to pay for pirates?
 
Optical disc checks have been out for years... how is now any different? I can understand the install limit DRM being an issue for people... but a mere check? This is becoming a techie space opera...
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
Optical disc checks have been out for years... how is now any different? I can understand the install limit DRM being an issue for people... but a mere check? This is becoming a techie space opera...
Click to expand...

I agree completely.

Although if F3 comes out for Steam, I know how I'm going to vote with my wallet when buying the game.
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
Optical disc checks have been out for years... how is now any different? I can understand the install limit DRM being an issue for people... but a mere check? This is becoming a techie space opera...
Click to expand...

I don't think he was being serious or atleast I hope so.
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
Optical disc checks have been out for years... how is now any different?
Click to expand...

Exactly. "DRM" has been in place for years, but now all of a sudden people are getting their panties in a bunch because pirating is getting worse so more DRM is being put in place. Sensationalism at it's finest.
 
Ruiner said:
And KOTOR had Pazaak and Sloopracing, but you could completely skip them if you wanted (except for one race in KOTOR1).

Mass Effect's minigame in particular turned the game into *work*....tedious and repetitive when opening any locked object. If I wanted to play a flash puzzle game there are tons on the web. Devs are using them as a crutch to increase play time.

If content and missions are the beef in the CRPG hotdog, minigames are the lips and assholes.

From a game mechanics point of view ('action' CRPG/FPS hybrid) F3 won't be Oblivion with guns, but Mass Effect in post-nuclear DC....complete with minigame lockpicking (and possibly Securom too).
Click to expand...

You just mentioned 2 console games, we were talking about console to PC contamination, please pay attention. As I stated before The Witcher had a Minigame and it was pure PC. So the argument for minigames being a catalyst for contamination is still null.
 
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