3021

They should have an adrogynous or transgender perk just for kicks so you get both options. Heh.

3022

Poor Gavin …

3023

Less is more. I’m playing to smash property and womp Norb, not spawn.

3024

As an aside, it’s astounding how productive a non-inflammatory tone can be.

The more I hear of FO3, the more I like it. It strikes me to be based on an ‘older’ design philosophy, where the focus is not on pushing the generation’s technology, and emphasizing in the scope of the content instead.

3025

I think this is how I would prefer it to be. Having to eat in STALKER didn’t really add anything to the game in my opinion. If this is true, though, then they must not be using the same healing system as in Oblivion. And stimpacks must not be as common as in the previous Fallouts (or have some side-effects that didn’t exist before).

3026

Well, as the PCZone writer pointed out, the Fallout 3 date means it is now something like 200 years since the nuclear war. You’d think most of the good stuff would be long gone, and what kind of product are Stimpaks to still work? Pre-war stuff should be super scarce, though I suppose the BOS could be manufacturing new stuff, as could the Enclave (that fits the canon, by the way).

That’s one of the reasons I wish they had set the game at an earlier date, maybe roughly at the same time as the first game. However, that would have meant it would have been really, really, really hard to justify the appearance of the BOS and supermutants. Instead we get 200 years later in ruins that don’t look 200 years old (at least according to the PCZone piece.)

3027

I suppose all of you? missed the part where I said that I don’t agree (or at least meant to say) with NMA (or most the members there) about everything. I also don’t treat Fallout games the next best thing since sliced bread. I have fought a very hard and very long battle (and some times futile to) to defend Bethesda making Fallout 3 not turnbased and isometric since I do think that this matter little in regards to how the overall game’s story is presented and how well the game is written.

On the subject of exploding cars. Yes, they might be funny. But I feel a lecture coming on from my old high school physics teacher who would have said that only fission (cells) would explode. That’s why the nuclear bombs explode. Thing in Fallout (games) are powered by nuclear fusion cells and that’s another matter. (Remember the cold fusion debacle almost two centuries ago, I think?) But that’s not the worst thing about this whole thing. The worst, to me, is the Fatman, not because it is a ridiculous weapon or anything, but because if trivializes and demeans the use of (small) atom bombs in the game: Have an enemy you can’t beat? Throw a nuclear bomb through the nuclear rocket launcher (the fatman) at him. Growing up in the shadow of the cold war, the nuclear threat of extinction were very real; I just don’t think you should be able to throw nuclear weapons around like this - just as if it were just another type of weapon. On that, I do agree with much of the NMA crowd.

That Polish guy who did an editorial has mentioned (which was new to me) that the Fatman actually is built upon some testing that the US military did back in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s with a weapon called Davy Crocket which sort of were a forerunner for this portable nuclear bomb launcher. Todd continues to call it a catapult; yet to me it seems more like a bazooka type thing. The basis for such a weapon existing in the Fallout universe certainly is there, and one could argue that in the more than 200+ years that have gone since 1950 and 2250, the military would have perfected this rocket launcher to be used as bazooka sort of thing that could fire (small) nuclear bombs.

As for the previews, I liked what I saw; I especially liked the one of 1 UP.
(you can go to the bethblog.com to see for yourselves…) Here it was clear that Todd H. was relaxed among friends, and gave a very relaxed laid-back presentation of this new game called Fallout 3. I liked that your skills decide how well you can hack e.g. turrets in the game or what weapons you can build. Strangely enough, I also sort of liked the combat - sort of. I’m still unsure about VATS, though - mostly because I’m a wuzz ;) I can’t stand seeing all that blood and such nor can I stand seeing every single enemy in the game being hit in the bullet time that is Max Payne’s. (or do this only happen if you have the bloody mess perk?)

I this preview (1UP’s) Todd H. also mentioned they had made a new perk called ‘learning to use power armor’ or something like that. They did this since they know many players would just head for the Power Armour very early on in the game — with this, they can still do this, but they need to take this perk to be better at moving in the armour, and using it. Very nifty, I find. I do think that most of the NMA members think this is at least a little suspicios. I like it, though.

I also liked that the game checks your speech skills when you talk to someone; one of the previewers told the Sheriff about Mr. Burke and Mr. Burke is now coming after him (or rather the character in the game, he’s playing, but you know what I mean, I hope ;) ).

Todd H. also got a lot of flack over at the NMA forums for saying that
‘we assumme you haven’t played any of the first two games’ which in the context fits perfectly fine, since you really can’t expect new players (to the series?) to have played the first two games.

Anywho, over on the BGSF Fallout forums there is a very heated discussion going on about whether or not a Teddy Bear will get your head ripped of if fired with a high enough velocity. I don’t understand much of it, though, since I’m not a science person, but I do think this could be a pretty good discussion for a physics class, though.

As for beating a dead horse? why is it talking when or if it dead? It it zome kind of zombie horse maybe? or maybe even a ghoul(ish) horse of some king?? More, seriously, though, in moving the setting East, Bethesda could just have re-named the game to something like Fallout: (subtitle here) and most NMA people would have been fine with it, I think. I know I would.

At the end of the day, it is still Bethesda’s call…

3028

As others have pointed out, you don’t just “find” this particular weapon, you have to construct it. Now, if enemies use it against you later, I can see complaining, but otherwise it’s an optional weapon that doesn’t have to be part of your game. What other people choose to do doesn’t matter to me.

Anywho, over on the BGSF Fallout forums there is a very heated discussion going on about whether or not a Teddy Bear will get your head ripped of if fired with a high enough velocity. I don’t understand much of it, though, since I’m not a science person, but I do think this could be a pretty good discussion for a physics class, though.

Someone needs to remind them of the Columbia shuttle disaster, where pieces of foam knocked heat shield tiles off the underside of the shuttle. At a high velocity, even something minor can cause damage. That said, I don’t really like the teddy bear thing, but I take it as an example of the ability of that weapon to use what’s laying around, much like a homemade shotgun. If the game has teddy bears all over the place as convenient ammo, on the other hand, they will have gone too far.

At the end of the day, it is still Bethesda’s call…

Yep.

3029

Let’s try not to confuse being critical and analytical and sceptical with being negative…

NMA is to me critical etc. of all things Fallout just like some Polish and French and other European game sites are. Saying you don’t like the writing in Fallout 3 does not mean that that cannot see if Fallout 3 is going to be a great game…

I liked the setting actually…

3030

Hey, I hadn’t noticed this thread until it got linked in the banning thread. So there’s going to be a Fallout 3? Is it supposed to be any good?

3031

Methinks your old high school physics teacher needs to read up on nuclear fusion.

Fusion reactions are exothermic, just not as exothermic as fission reactions, as they’re not self-propogating. However…fusion reactions still produce energy. There’s that round yellow thing in the sky that releases energy via fusion, after all.

The process of combining nuclei (the protons and neutrons inside an atomic nucleus) together with a release of kinetic energy is called fusion. This process powers the Sun, it contributes to the world stockpile of weapons of mass destruction and may one day generate safe, clean electrical power.

We don’t have solely fusion bombs per se today, because fission reactions are far more exothermic (that whole self-propogating thing). However, the modern nuclear bombs are a combination fusion/fission, as when you combine the two, you get a much greater reaction.

3032

IIRC Gamma World had a gun that used random junk as ammo, but it would turned it into heated plasma. The Rock-IT Launcher is more or less a joke weapon. The most quirky gun I can remember from Fallout was that solar powered laser pistol from 2 which had like 2 shots per reload, but had unlimited ammo during the day and nil at night.

3033

During the cold war the united states developed a man portable tactical nuclear deliver system. The “Davy Crockett”.

Granted “man portable” is a bit debatable, more like “a few men portable”, but anyway the Fatman doesn’t seem very unrealistic.

3034

… only nuclear fission reactions consume fusion fuel. That’s how the hydrogen bomb works.

The worst, to me, is the Fatman, not because it is a ridiculous weapon or anything, but because if trivializes and demeans the use of (small) atom bombs in the game

Won’t someone think of the nukes feelings? They don’t like to be demeaned! LOL

Growing up in the shadow of the cold war, the nuclear threat of extinction were very real; I just don’t think you should be able to throw nuclear weapons around like this - just as if it were just another type of weapon.

Lighten up there, Dr. Strangelove. It’s a GAME. Do you also get your fucking knickers in a twist over GTA San Adreas prostitutes because your parents pimped you out?

Todd continues to call it a catapult; yet to me it seems more like a bazooka type thing.

Look at it… it looks like a catapult. Are you blind or something?

I’m still unsure about VATS, though - mostly because I’m a wuzz ;) I can’t stand seeing all that blood and such nor can I stand seeing every single enemy in the game being hit in the bullet time that is Max Payne’s. (or do this only happen if you have the bloody mess perk?)

Critical hit deaths result in the gory deaths. They will still happen but far less often, since the Bloody Mess perk makes the game think every death is a critical-hit death just for the animation choice.

I this preview (1UP’s) Todd H. also mentioned they had made a new perk called ‘learning to use power armor’ or something like that. They did this since they know many players would just head for the Power Armour very early on in the game — with this, they can still do this, but they need to take this perk to be better at moving in the armour, and using it. Very nifty, I find. I do think that most of the NMA members think this is at least a little suspicios. I like it, though.

Yes, it sounds suspiciously like CHANGE. No more exploiting the game so that you can trivialize the rest of it with armor you weren’t supposed to have that early. Sounds great to me.

Todd H. also got a lot of flack over at the NMA forums for saying that
‘we assumme you haven’t played any of the first two games’ which in the context fits perfectly fine, since you really can’t expect new players (to the series?) to have played the first two games.

Yes, hardly anyone who tries Fallout 3 will have played the first game. On the other hand, many of them will have played Oblivion. Shockingly, this is why they relate it to Oblivion!

Anywho, over on the BGSF Fallout forums there is a very heated discussion going on about whether or not a Teddy Bear will get your head ripped of if fired with a high enough velocity. I don’t understand much of it, though, since I’m not a science person, but I do think this could be a pretty good discussion for a physics class, though.

Yes, we’ve already covered this topic. It was only because of the Blood Mess perk and cheat codes they were using for the demo.

At the end of the day, it is still Bethesda’s call…

Thank god.

3035

The thing I don’t get is if you make the weapon with the wood-chipper, then why doesn’t it all come out like shrapnel? I think I’d make more sense if you load it with crap which turns into units of “ammo” and it can hold a “clip” of a certain amount before you can’t load more junk into it. Each shot then is roughly the same damage, with some variance. I suppose they’re doing it so you can’t load 100 teddy bears and still do 30 pts of damage or some such.

3036

shoots John Many Jars, self

3037

The Red Ryder BB gun was a joke weapon and very deadly, but you don’t find the FF (Fallout Fanatics) jumping on that one . . .

3038

Because it depends on what part of the wood chipper your using. Obviously, they’re not using the “chipper” part.

3039

I don’t understand the obsession with realism in Fallout games. Virtually nothing in Fallout 1 or 2 was realistic. Radiation does not turn you into a ghoul. Viruses cannot turn you into a supermutant. BB guns are highly ineffective weapons. Etc etc. But nuclear catapults and exploding nuclear-powered cars are somehow too far-fetched for this universe? C’mon.

3040

Just on the topic of shooting a fusion powered car and having it explode, this is entirely possible. While the kickstart to a fusion reaction requires a fission reaction, it is likely that these cars were powered by some kind of sci-fi cold fusion, as otherwise their engines would be the temperature of the sun. A shot could therefore activate the kickstart process and kaboom (though it shouldn’t happen every time). There’s also the issue that a fusion reaction creates many times the energy release of a fission reaction, and it’s hard to believe that a thermonuclear reaction could be kept in safe enough check to drive with. A more reasonable question would be asking why shooting the car didn’t blow up the whole city.

In the end though, not only can everything be explained away by ‘they had future technology’, it frankly doesn’t really matter. Just accept it as a game, right?