Fallout: New Vegas

[Flawless]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

IGN: First Look

But it only takes a second look to see that Obsidian Entertainment is placing its own unmistakable mark on the Fallout franchise. A new Hardcore mode, tweaked combat, weapon mods, gambling, and a game world as big as Fallout 3 are just a few of the things fans will be raving about up to and beyond the release of this next entrant into the much-loved game series. Obsidian, a development studio founded by some of the same people that created the original Fallout games, is back on the scene in a big way.

[allBthere]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

IGN: First Look

sounds hora-awful...just kidding it sounds totally awesome.

[Flawless]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

Damage threshold and multiple ammo types are back.

Project Director, J.E. Sawyer:

http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/topic/1090216-ign-previews-new-vegas/page__st__80

I figure this is a good time to explain how the "red shield" (and also "HUD colored shield") works.

Imagine that there is an amount of damage that armor directly subtracts from damage... a "threshold" of damage, if you will. While a small percentage of damage may get through even the thickest armor, damage threshold can effectively neutralize a lot of small arms. Fallout 1 and 2 used numerical feedback to let the player know when their weapons weren't doing any damage. In F3 and F:NV, the player only sees enemy health meters that represent a percentage of total health rather than an exact value. This makes it difficult to tell how effective an enemy's armor is (as opposed to the target simply having a ton of health). In F:NV, the red shield appears next to a target's health meter when you hit it for damage that is equal to or less than the target's damage threshold. A HUD-colored shield appears next to the player's health meter when the player is hit for damage equal to or less than the player's damage threshold.

High RoF weapons typically have a low DAM, high DPS. E.g. 10mm SMG. Low RoF weapons are the opposite. E.g. Hunting Rifle. F:NV's Pip-Boy Weapons tab now cross-fades between DAM and DPS so the player can make more tactical choices about what weapon to use in any given circumstance. Having both of these values visible has also allowed us to revise the calculation of DAM/DPS values to be less abstract and more accurate. Using the weapons previously listed, a 10mm SMG would be best against unarmored/lightly armored targets at close range. The Hunting Rifle is ideal against armored targets at long range. But if the player wants to get fiddly with numbers, the Cowboy Repeater (mentioned in the Escapist preview) is better than either weapon against unarmored/lightly armored targets at long range since it is accurate, has a decent DAM and a better DPS than the Hunting Rifle. Add ammo subtypes and mods into the mix and there are a lot of ways to optimize the gear you carry and use.

Damage Threshold is a new value for armor. It is directly subtracted from damage. That is, it is not a percentage reduction. I'll use an example of DR vs. DT to illustrate the impact it has.

Let's say you have a weapon with a DAM of 13 and a weapon with a DAM of 45.

Against armor with 20 DR, each shot from the first weapon will do 13 - 2.6 = 10.4 damage. The second weapon will do 45 - 8 = 37 damage per shot.

Against armor with 5 DT, each shot from the first weapon will do 13 - 5 = 8 damage. The second weapon will do 45 - 5 = 40 damage per shot.

Damage Threshold has a greater impact the lower the base damage is. Damage Resistance scales universally because it is a percentile reduction.

[Chizzypoof]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

I can't wait. I hope they can iron out the bugs that plagued the PS3 version of Fallout 3, since they are using the same engine.

I was planning on buying all four DLC, but stopped at two because it was unplayable.

[Flawless]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

Shacknews Preview

Obsidian has made several noteworthy changes to both real-time and Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (VATS) combat. For starters, a more distinct arsenal of weapons should see players swapping between their various armaments more often.

"There's a lot of different combination of weapons and ammo and things like that so you have a lot of choices, a little bit more than you rather focusing on one single weapon during a long portion of the game," Urquhart explains.

One such example is the addition of a red shield icon in VATS, which lets players know that their weapon isn't all that effective against that particular foe or part.

"Weapons that have a high rate of fire, they do a lot of damage with a lot of little bullets. If you hit a target that has armor, you'll see that red shield," notes Sawyer. "You're doing a little less damage per shot, you'll want [something] a little slower firing and heavier hitting. There's also stuff like ammo subtypes, armor-piercing ammo for shotguns."

In addition, certain weapons do better against certain parts of the body, for example, ones that work better against limbs but aren't that effective against the head--a change Sawyer hopes "will sort of shift things away from head targeting [in VATS]."

To increase the effectiveness of using melee weapons with VATS, these weapons now have special attacks that can only be triggered in VATS. One such attack--"Fore!"--saw our protagonist take a swing with a gold club and send the foe's head flying.

The team at Obsidian has also been tweaking the way real-time combat works.

"We really just wanted to make sure that the real-time [combat] stuff was improved a little bit." Sawyer says. "We've got sight aiming, so there's a little bit more connection to where your gun is shooting at. It's not taking anything away from VATS. People use VATS all the time, they really enjoy it, it's a good tool in the game and there's a lot of RPG stuff that ties into it. But we did want to make sure that if people do want to play the game real-time, it's as responsive as they'd expect."

...

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[goh]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

Any chance of mods for consoles with this? They're both more USB capable now. UT3 on PS3 could do it. Mods would've made Fallout 3 good but my PC can't run it.

[bkfount]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

Any chance of mods for consoles with this? They're both more USB capable now. UT3 on PS3 could do it. Mods would've made Fallout 3 good but my PC can't run it.

never.

[Flawless]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas Makers Talk Story, Morality

Josh Sawyer: Caesar's Legion, at least initially when you learn things about them, they're really nasty and bad. But they're not an evil faceless organization, just as NCR is not always the good guys. They do terrible crap all the time, and Caesar's Legion occasionally does some good things. We didn't want to make the player, when they go into it, just go "Welp, I guess these are the bad guys. I'm gonna kill them, and help these guys because they're good."

There's a lot about sort-of political ideologies and who you want to help. Sometimes you call NCR and [they'll] screw over some people who are totally innocent. Sometimes you'll help Caesar's Legion, and it actually helps those guys out.

Feargus Urquhart: For each of those groups, like Caesar's Legion and NCR, we came up with very specific [details of] what they're all about. NCR is very bureaucratic. For each of the groups that we have in the game, we make sure that they have this thing about them. Caesar's Legion, what they're going on is basically slavery and trying to take over the world. NCR wants the government to come back, and has become needlessly bureaucratic. By doing that, we make sure that every time you come against one of these groups, you definitely get a sense of that personality.

Josh Sawyer: We're trying to build on [the franchise's fictional history] a lot. One thing I do admit is kinda tricky is sometimes we take for granted [knowledge of past characters and events].

Pete Hines: That's all part of the Fallout canon, and going back there is just building on that canon but ultimately acknowledging that you are in part of the U.S. where other games did take place and there are places and things that, if you played those games, you should see and recognize. If you don't, if you don't what the NCR is, it doesn't take away from your enjoyment of the game. You still get what it's all about.

Josh Sawyer: When you go to Black Mountain, we wanted to include the chimes from the cathedral in Fallout 1. Sometimes [the references are] really overt, like, "Hey, look it's that character." Sometimes it can be as subtle as an instrument you heard in a theme that comes back.

[Flawless]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas Collector's Edition Revealed

Bethesda has announced a collector's edition for Fallout: New Vegas. The edition will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 for $79.99, according to a GameStop pre-order listing and $69.99 on PC.

Bethesda still hasn't announced a launch date for the game, only saying it's still coming this fall.

Here's the break down of what's included in the package:

- "Lucky 7" poker chips. Each of the seven poker chips was designed to represent chips from the major casinos found on the New Vegas strip and throughout the Mojave Wasteland.

- A fully customized Fallout: New Vegas deck of cards. Each card in the pack has been uniquely illustrated to depict characters and factions found within the game. Use the cards to play poker, blackjack or Caravan, an original card game that was created by Obsidian especially for New Vegas!

- A recreation of the game's highly coveted "Lucky 38" platinum chip.

- A hardcover graphic novel "All Roads", that tells the story of some of the characters and events that lead up to Fallout: New Vegas. "All Roads" was written by Chris Avellone, the game's creative director, and created in conjunction with Dark Horse Comics.

- 'The Making of Fallout: New Vegas' DVD. This documentary DVD will contain exclusive video content, including interviews with the developers in which they take you from concept to creation and discuss topics such as story, setting, legacy of the Fallout franchise and more.

[dickey1331]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

That actually seems pretty cool.

[Flawless]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas Hits the Strip

First, we've learned a bit about why New Vegas was left slightly better off than the rest of the war-torn country. A mysterious genius named Mr. House used his mastery of probability and statistics to ensure its safety during the Great War. Now he runs the strip from a secluded tower where he rode out the past few hundred years in stasis.

Once you reach downtown New Vegas there are a host of casinos where players can try their hand at slots, blackjack, and roulette. So far Bethesda has revealed six casinos including Lucky 38, The Strip, Gomorrah, Vault 21, The Ultra-Luxe, and The Tops. Each of these locations has their own house rules, so you'll get a different gambling experience depending on where you play. There are also three different currencies to match the warring factions in the game so along with bottlecaps you'll be trading between coin and NCR dollars when you hit the casinos.

In addition to the table games, the article teased another type of gambling that wasn't being discussed just yet. We don't know what it is, but considering the Fallout Universe there's a good chance it'll be violent and depraved.

Finally, the article also teased a new dialogue option that opens up especially for characters with below-average intelligence. These "dumb" responses don't always have a negative outcome and can even be beneficial.

[SuperBowlNachos]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

It would be cool if they had a whole host of casino games. Slots, BJ and Roulette would get pointless after a while. I want to throw some craps!

[Flawless]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

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[Jistic]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

From that little video it looks identical to the Fallout 3. To me that's a good thing cuz I loved Fallout 3. But I kept hearing how the combat was so different. It didn't look different to me at all. Again, from 30 seconds of video.

This is a day one game for me as long as VATS is still in.

[DickDalewood]

Re: Fallout: New Vegas

From that little video it looks identical to the Fallout 3. To me that's a good thing cuz I loved Fallout 3. But I kept hearing how the combat was so different. It didn't look different to me at all. Again, from 30 seconds of video.

This is a day one game for me as long as VATS is still in.

Well, the fact that we can aim down the sights is definitely a much needed addition. Although, I had heard combat was mostly the same, just slightly tweaked, so I'm not sure where you heard it was radically different/improved.

Looks good though, looks very good.