Sitting in Bethesda's temporary European HQ in the heart of London's trendy Soho, just near the excellent Red Lion pub and some brothels, Bethesda's resident do-everything man Pete Hines is extolling the virtues of the free-roamer RPG.
"I could tell you what you'd be doing every single minute of Call of Duty 4," he begins. "Don't get me wrong - that game is fucking amazing, but I could tell you what happens in every minute of every single mission within very small parameters. What weapon you were using... everything.
"With Fallout 3, you could be 10 hours in and I couldn't even guess 20-30 per cent of what you'll have done. We made our reputation by doing big and crazy - things people hadn't tried before. We feel that we've gotten good at it now."
This much is incontrovertible, the open-world structure of Oblivion was sometimes seamless to play through and the AI-driven daily routines of Cyrodiil's denizens a delight to play around with. The same will be true of Fallout 3, when you're out in the wastes.
"You could be walking along and there'll be a diner off to the side, you'll wonder what's over there - and it'll turn out to be a Raider base and there's mutated bodies hanging from the ceiling," explains Hines.
"Suddenly the Raiders could show up - and that's just due to the time of day. If you want to play the game hardcore, you can sit and wait and watch these guys over a period of time and figure out what their schedule is - go in while they're out, or when they're sleeping."
Begin Again
The start of the game though, as it was with Oblivion, will be inherently linear - although perhaps not in the temporal sense. There's probably no need to bore you with the way the action cuts in and out of various events of your childhood, nor with the fact that many of your perks, stats and abilities will be selected at various points within this.
So let's just cut to the meat and reveal that when you're born, a left-click of your mouse will make you cry. And then, when you're a year old and escaping from your wire-fence playpen, the same button will make your character say stuff like, "Dadda!"
No word if you can go rooting though Liam Neeson's cupboards and valiantly attempt to drink bleach just yet though.
As soon as you're out in the wilderness in your late teens, everything opens up before you - the landmass is smaller than that in Oblivion, but Bethesda insist that it won't necessarily feel that way.
"When you started Oblivion you had all these cities around that you knew about - you could travel all over the world, then explore from each one," says Hines. "In Fallout 3, you emerge from the Vault and you don't know shit. You're not getting anywhere in a hurry."
The idea is that being forced to travel around on foot, with no real idea of what direction stuff lies in, will force you to appreciate your immediate environs more - as well as give you a strong sense of exploration.
Much as in the original Fallout games, where you'd only be told settlements were vaguely to the south or were completely unmarked.
This 'less is more' ethic extends to NPCs as well, having a more limited number of wordier tykes milling around, rather than the hundreds of three-line conversation 'tell me rumours!' variety that inhabited Oblivion.
In the new scenes on show in Pete Hines' presentation, the improvement was marked - when bickering with a childhood bully there are at least six or seven different retorts to your foe, for example.
We're also promised that there are at least 60 voice actors and that the more recognisable ones from Oblivion ('You have my ear, citizen!') haven't made the cut. Hines reckons they've nixed the old chestnut of conversation between NPCs being stilted and dull to boot.
Greetings
"When they talk to each other they can do it by name," he explains. "They understand that this person is someone they have a certain sort of relationship with, and so they can talk about a certain set of things.
When the player sees that, it's more realistic. The more we can do to make characters believable when you walk past them, the better."
What of Dogmeat though? We touched on him last issue, but now his full range of capabilities has been laid bare.
You talk to him as if he were a real person - no doubt causing a few raised eyebrows in the wastes - and can tell him to help out in combat, scavenge the vicinity for food, weaponry or stims (which could take him up to two in-game hours if hard pressed) or simply to head back to the entrance to Vault 101 and wait for you there.
He won't level up or learn anything new ("He's just a dog," says Hines) but if he dies then he's dead for good - and you won't meet any other muscular, English-comprehending canines either. Dogmeat's a one-off.
"There are human companions as well," adds Hines by way of consolation. "It'll probably end up as one companion, so you can have a human and Dogmeat with you.
"What kind of companion you have depends on your karma and the karma of those willing to be your companion. The karma has to match up." Dogmeat isn't fussy, as he's a dog. They're dim like that - Hitler had a dog, for example.
Sadly, there is some wavering in my worship at the Fallout 3 shrine. These are more a few moments of disquiet rather than an outraged notice nailed to Bethesda's oaken doors, but a worry nonetheless.
The last thing I was shown was an all-action piece set in a ruined Washington, starting at a battered Washington Monument (that you can climb to the top of) and ending with a Fatboy nuclear explosion battle in front of the Capitol building.
Between these, beautifully imagined, tourist spots was a network of trenches where the Brotherhood of Steel and Super Mutant factions have warred for decades - now riven by trenches, tripmines and bomb scars.
Bedecked in Power Armour (robbing you of perception and agility, but maxing out your bullet-soaking abilities) you'll fight your way through the area, but it did get me worrying how Fallout 3 will work as a shooter.
All the time-halting VATS stuff still looks great, but what of the non-tactical shooting - will it feel as weighty as it should? Are Bethesda biting off more than they can chew when they enter the realm of the FPS?
Time will tell, but the (admittedly max-ammo and max-stimpack) jaunt through the DC trenches didn't allay any fears. Fallout 3 will still be roleplaying game of the year. After all - it's got Dogmeat in it!
He won't level up or learn anything new ("He's just a dog," says Hines) but if he dies then he's dead for good - and you won't meet any other muscular, English-comprehending canines either. Dogmeat's a one-off.
Hmmmm..... So that'll mean lots of reloading as people wouldn't want to lose Dogmeat in battle... Bad choice methinkins
Bethesda, I bow before you with the greatest respect. You are my Gods of the gaming world. Fallout3 and me are going to get along just fine. I thank you for entrusting me with the care of your wonderful child. I promise to care for her and nourish her and till death we do part!
sounds like it's going to be a very good game but i don't think it will be very alike like the fallout we love. just like EAs red alert 3 this is probably going to be a good game but not like the actual red alert games we know. but i might proven wrong, we have still only seen very little of the game.
Bethesda, I bow before you with the greatest respect. You are my Gods of the gaming world. Fallout3 and me are going to get along just fine. I thank you for entrusting me with the care of your wonderful child. I promise to care for her and nourish her and till death we do part!
God this game better be amazing-i plan on finishing Morrowind and Oblivion between mid June and the time of release for Fallout 3. This game should be awesome, i really can not wait, it's my most wanted game, up there with MGS4 and LBP.
I agree - could be a huge pain unless they nail his AI. I can already imagine the pooch running off to his death, followed by an angry reload.
Then again, bethesda are clever dudes, so I guess they wouldn't do such a risky move unless they're sure they can pull it off.
I wouldn't be so sure. In Oblivion, I remember getting my lovable inside-out Hellhound type mutt. I also remember the bastard monsters in Sheogorath's place murdering it. And of course, you don't get it back. Though I suppose it encourages greater responsibilty and that.
Although with hints the FPS bits maybe are a bit off, and the fact that they are using voice actors from Oblivion, that some of us have listened over and over to for 200+ hours, meaning a break in immersiveness problem perhaps, as in, 'am I in a fantasy world of Orcs and magic or a future world with robots and lasers?'. A feel based on hearing voices from another world/game.
It said in the article that they wouldn't be using the ones from Oblivion.
I am looking forward to this, along with Clear Sky. Should be a good year. Now to get something that will run them.
wut is the big deal with dogmeat? its a F**** dog for christ sake who cares if he dies or not. the real issue here is the FPS aspect of the game. this game is in excellent hands with bethesda but as they said before, there comes a point when you need to give the finger to the fan base and make the game you want to make whether they like it or not because and in my opinion as well the diehard fans who want to see this game be turn based are f****** lunatics. i mean come on people turn based combat was some gaming bull**** that they used in the 90's! it's time we moved on from that crap. dont get me wrong, i can't wait 4 Fallout 3 to come out and i must say that i think bethesda as found a sort of middle ground For FPSs and RPGs with VATS.
who actualy cares about the dog, if it bothers you that much as soon as you get chance just kill the thing.At least then you wont have to worry about trying to save the damned mut. Thats what i plan on doing with it.
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