I’ve been reading about the upcoming Fallout 3 Sequel. The most promising aspect of it is the addition of something called “Hardcore Mode”. Instead of being a simple difficullty boost, the new mode changes the gameplay mechanics to create a more challenging game. So far, we know that it will make bullets have weight, add a dehydration meter (adjusting for time of day), and make stimpacks regenerate hp over time instead of instantly.
Personally, I think that they should also have a severe AP penalty for accessing your inventory during combat.
Nitpick; It’s not a sequel - it has nothing at all to do with the story of Fallout 3. More of a spin-off. I’ll probably pick it up after the reviews are out.
Does look damn similar to F3, though - which is arguably a good thing, why fix what ain’t broke, right? Judging by the screenies it appears almost like a glorified expansion pack - there’s even the same outfits and the Super Mutants look exactly the same. The good thing is my machine with run it - it’s also good news for modders familiar with F3, no doubt it’ll be GECK’d up the yazoo within a month after release.
The story intrigues me the most - it’s by the some of the same people who made 1 & 2, so I know it’ll be good. Apparently you’re just some schmuck who gets shot in the head and left for dead, GTA3 style, and not a Vault-dweller. I wonder about the screenshots, though - there’s a vault jumpsuit and the PC clearly wears a Pip-Boy.
So long as that’s an optional mode and there’s no requirement to play with that stuff on, great. I hate having to do things like eat food regularly or drink water just to not die in RPG’s. Maybe it makes for more realistic gameplay, but that gets into annoying hassle territory. It’s one thing to use that stuff for healing purposes and all, but where you’re in perfect health and then you start “feeling hungry” and your HP starts going down unless you find an apple, that’s when I get all :rolleyes: at it.
Seems to be optional, but quite interesting. I’ve a load of mods that achieve the same thing on F3, though I might play NV in normal mode first to get the feel and difficulty curve.
I’m not sure about the vault jumpsuit, I’d guess you’ll find vaults to explore and pick them up there. I read somewhere, I can’t remember where, that the Pip-Boy is given to you by an NPC. I kinda liked the ‘you always start in the vault’ thing but it’s not a big deal, I’m looking forward to this game more than anything else coming out this year, and there’s some good stuff coming out this year.
Also, TBG, the hardcore mode is optional. You can play it without those restrictions if you want.
Apparently after you get brained a doc patches you up; if he was from a Vault (21) it would explain why the PC has a jumpsuit and PipBoy. Fallout 2 didn’t start out of the vault, so it’s not essential for a good Fallout game. It is a good narrative device; Fallout 1 and 3 started out of the vault as the PC is as clueless about the world as the player themselves - in 2, the player is probably a bit more familiar after the events of 1. So I’d have though Obsidian would repeat the experience in regards to a city we know next to nothing about.
Other posters have mentioned some aspects of this, but don’t forget that Super Mutants have always pretty much looked the same since Fallout 1. There’s not that much room for alteration. Deathclaws, too, although their current 3-D appearance is actually a mistake: they were actually intended to be furry mutant racoons or something in the original, but it didn’t show up all that well. Additionally, they didn’t put fur on the few clay models they created of the things, so when it got picked up later…
Incidentally, having Super Mutants around Vegas makes a great deal of sense, since the remaining Super Muties were scattered after the defeat of the Master. They’ve been slowly dying off since. I was actually a little irritated they showed up so often in F3 along with the enclave, as it felt like retread, so I’m a little leery now, but I’ll give it a try.
Don’t get me wrong, that’s a good thing in my eyes. Means the system specs won’t be too different from Fallout 3, modders will pick it up quickly (as will players of Fallout 3) and it didn’t take as long to develop. Given the relatively early release date everyone assumed it used GameByro, but Obsidian were surprisingly tight-lipped.
Aye, but these ones use the exact same skins as the Capital Wasteland mutants. I’d have to disagree with you on the similarity - Capital Wasteland Super Mutants are somewhat different than the Master’s lot, being grown in Vault 87. When you get to the Citadel and chat with the Brother of Steel they note that the mutants seem different, both physically and mentally. I’m not too fussed, if it saves time that can be spent on more content I haven’t got a problem in recycling old assets. Bethesda did this all the time in the DLCs.
They sure are, with special moves too - like ‘Fore!’ for the gold club, heh.
I just read that Fallout New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment, not Bethesda. This saddens me rather greatly. Obsidian is known for having great ideas than rushing them out the door as an incomplete product. KOTOR 2, for instance. I’ll definitely hold off on buying this one out the door
KOTOR 2’s shortcomings were mostly LucasArts’ fault. They made Obsidian rush the game out in time for Christmas. Bethesda is still going to be the publisher of New Vegas and I don’t think they’re going to have Obsidian release the game before it’s ready.
Here’s hoping, cause they’re working on two games that look very promising (FO:NV and Alpha Protocol) so I’m hoping they get over their problems. Neverwinter Nights 2 was pretty buggy at launch as well, if I remember correctly.
I loved Fallout 3 and all the DLCs, but it got annoying when I hit level 20 about halfway through and had godlike powers and weapons. I was very excited to see the Hardcore mode for New Vegas. I will be playing it in this mode the first time around.
The more I ponder this hardcore mode the more sense it makes. In Fallout 3, a kid straight out of the Vault can essentially become a god, able to punch to death a Super Mutant Behemoth (which can take a mini-nuke to the face). In New Vegas you appear to be just some random courier who also shouldn’t be able to casually face down Super Mutants.
I’ve installed a few realism mods for Fallout 3 (particularly involving weapon damage), so I’m adding a hunger/thirst one now to see how well it gels. If it’s just annoying I might give hardcore a miss.
I don’t know about you guys, but I ended up lugging around a lot of food and drink anyways and then ended up eating/drinking them en masse, just to lighten the load. If there’s an actual mechanic for it and maybe even a higher load level that you can carry because of it, I’ll be fine with it.