How much choice does Fallout 3 REALLY allow for?

[TundraWolf]

Seeing as you haven't bought Fallout 3 yet, I will take this chance to try and persuade you into not buying it.

Spoiler: Here you go

[img]http://imgur.com/TVFXW.jpg[/img]

Hooray for me posting this image for the third time today. I hope the image answers all your questions about this horrendous game.

I will counter/cancel out this post by saying that Fallout 3 is my favorite game of all time. Ever.

Then I will counter/cancel your post by saying that you've got a terrible taste in videogames.

That's not how it works. We've already canceled each other out, you can't cancel me out again.

Actually, he can. He cancelled out your negative, giving you a positive. Which makes you win. It's the whole "-1 x -1 = +1" thing.

I think congratulations are in order.

 

[Ghengis John]

Yes actually it does. I'm not convinced that the guy really knows what he is talking about, but knowing that now makes my previous statement invalid as directed towards you. I apologize.

It's cool.

 

[Hairetos]

-snip-

FPSRPG/Action RPG is how I've seen it described.

Yes, it's first and foremost an RPG, but the fact that it has FPS elements (by which I mean that it's basically a FPS game) means that it's also classed as an FPSRPG.

You could just as easily argue that Half-Life wasn't an FPS game, as you could (ish) walk through the game with ONLY the crowbar, but that's obviously just a fucking retarded statement.

It doesn't have any FPS elements if you don't play it like that, and you're never pushed in that direction. It is built to allow you to play how you want, whereas Half-Life is geared towards shooting specifically, and whilst I'm sure someone is dull enough to try and crowbar their way through, it's still an FPS.

It doesn't have them if you don't want to play like that, BUT THEY ARE BUILT INTO THE GAME are they not? You still aim your police baton or dragon sword with your crosshairs, the FPS foundation is inescapable. And if you never engage in any combat at all, good luck getting Paul or Manny out of their respective predicaments alive.

His point is this. Say someone beat Deus Ex without shooting a single gun. Can they really walk up to someone and say they played a first-person shooter? The genre necessitates the firing of a weapon.

In an RPG, however, you are given many options for weapons. We don't call Oblivion a first-person sword-swinger because you can swing axes, wield magic, shoot bows, or punch people. We simply then just call it an RPG, even though swordplay is very prominent in the game.

 

[Ekibiogami]

Buy game.
Go here. http://fallout3nexus.com/index.php
Download lots of mods to make game better.
Have fun.

 

[lolnoobzor]

anyways, CAN i do this? will i be allowed to be a dispenser of brutal justice with nary any consequences besides bad karma?

To answer your question, right now even sandbox games are limited by the constraints of a scenario. A game that allows the freedom of say a GM ad-libbing for you in person simply doesn't exist, and by definition is going to be impossible without some kind of AI technology involved.

Even in MOST PnP RPGs there are limits to what players can do, within the constraints of the scenario. For example if your playing "Temple Of Elemental Evil" (old, classic module) there are certain bounds to the detailed area, and the reaction of other elements in the scenario (bad guys acting on their own towards specific objectives) is liable to ensure that the action takes place within a certain basic framework. You can predict most of the variables likely to occur when you read through the module to prepare to run it.

Coming from more of PnP-RPG school of thought, liberty (as in, all my actions shall have consequences, not as in, I can do whatever I want) is something of paramount importance for me in an RPG. Honestly, Fallout 3 was very dissapointing to me, especially compared to the 1 & 2.

If, like someone else here said, you're more interested in being a certain character of your choice within the world created for you, then from what many people say, you might thoroughly enjoy Fallout 3. Despite the complaints about VATS and the FPS side of it, it's not enough IMO to 'ruin' a game - though you might want to try it out first. Unlike many fans of the older games, I didn't mind the gameplay so much.

However, if you are like me and you believe playing the character you chose means having the capacity to make choices that truly affect the world around you, then you might hate the game. Personally I hardly played more than 4-5 hours, because a short time after scratching Megaton off the map, I made a series of simple choices which the game could not account for. Disgusted, I wandered the wastelands for some time, killed a couple mutants and uninstalled the game.

I felt it not so much as a problem with the lack of choice development by the developers, but as a lack of generic choice consequences.

In comparison, certain 'unintended' (read, not programmed by the developers) choices I made in Fallout 2 dogged me throughout my entire game, whereas in Fallout 3 I literally had the impression the NPCs were braindead for not understanding what the hell I was doing.

So: wanna play around in the Fallout 3 sandbox without pushing the limitations, you should like it, but if you want to 'live' an adventure in the Fallout universe, you can ignore this iteration of the series. I haven't tried New Vegas though.

 

[MADrevilution]

i would recomend new vegas more really as theres a lot more choice in that, but in fallout 3 i spent 2 hours running around tenpenny towers while invisible killing people in there sleep, only to leave and come back and act surprised....then ate the corpses with the cannibal perk....you know what...get both...such good memories

 

[Ghengis John]

His point is this. Say someone beat Deus Ex without shooting a single gun. Can they really walk up to someone and say they played a first-person shooter? The genre necessitates the firing of a weapon.

In an RPG, however, you are given many options for weapons. We don't call Oblivion a first-person sword-swinger because you can swing axes, wield magic, shoot bows, or punch people. We simply then just call it an RPG, even though swordplay is very prominent in the game.

Speaking of hairs. Quit splitting them. A game can be two things at once. You're pretty dense or pretty staid if you can't accept the concept of a hybrid. Is it an RPG? Yes. But it's also an FPS. It's both. One thing does not preclude the other. They are not mutually exclusive entities. Get over it.

For that matter the sword play in Oblivion was just horrible.

 

[MBergman]

Seeing as you haven't bought Fallout 3 yet, I will take this chance to try and persuade you into not buying it.

Spoiler: Here you go

[img]http://imgur.com/TVFXW.jpg[/img]

Hooray for me posting this image for the third time today. I hope the image answers all your questions about this horrendous game.

You gotta agree though that quite a few of those so called "plot-holes" are pretty retarded.

 

[Leg End]

Choices... quite a few but... it's not entirely... free. I don't know how to put it. It still gives you fun choices though.

In terms of everything else? GOTYAYEY. Actually, make sure you get the Game of the Year edition and I can almost guarantee that you will not be leaving your house for... ever. One of my personal favorite gaems, I have to say it is worth any price.

Though if you didn't like certain aspects of Oblivion, you might like Fallout 3.

And, that fucking image...

Spoiler: Here you go

[img]http://imgur.com/TVFXW.jpg[/img]

Hooray for me posting this image for the third time today. I hope the image answers all your questions about this horrendous game.

Dude, if you have posted that image 3 times today, don't you think that is a little... excessive? Plus, it does not answer any of the questions.

 

[kouriichi]

Law? HAHAHA~!
There is no law in fallout. Only the gun at your side and the speed you pull it out.

Well, to be fair, in FO: New Vegas, you can piss off the different factions and be shot on sight by them, but its nothing like the guards from Oblivion.

You will like this game. Anyone who says its bad is eather an idiot, or doesnt like RPG/Shooter hybrids. ((IE: Cuy'vul Dar))

The choices are limited to mostly, "Good", "Evil" and "I dont want to get involved". But its the type of choice system that feels deeper then that.

You want to be the punisher? Go for it. Shoot all the bad guys you want with NO DRAW BACKS other then looting theyer bodys for ammo.

 

[crudus]

because one thing i HATED HATED HATED about Oblivion was the fact that for a game touted with "choice" i couldnt so much as brush up against someone without a guard going "HEY! YOU BROKE THE LAW! YOU'RE GOING TO JAIL!:and then the guards were do powerful that i really had no choice in the matter as to whether or not i wanted to commit crimes.

Wait wait wait. You are complaining because your choices had consequences? No, Fallout 3 does not let a choice go without consequences.

 

[FernandoV]

because one thing i HATED HATED HATED about Oblivion was the fact that for a game touted with "choice" i couldnt so much as brush up against someone without a guard going "HEY! YOU BROKE THE LAW! YOU'RE GOING TO JAIL!:and then the guards were do powerful that i really had no choice in the matter as to whether or not i wanted to commit crimes.

Wait wait wait. You are complaining because your choices had consequences? No, Fallout 3 does not let a choice go without consequences.

Sheesh. No, he's complaining about how the consequences are not justified by its cause. Fallout 3 lets almost all choices go without consequences, and even the consequences don't have real impact.

 

[crudus]

Sheesh. No, he's complaining about how the consequences are not justified by its cause. Fallout 3 lets almost all choices go without consequences, and even the consequences don't have real impact.

I never had a problem with the "overpowered" guards. Although, his hyperbole makes it hard to understand what he is complaining about. In Fallout 3 you can't go around stealing and killing without people attacking you which is also true for Oblivion.

 

[FernandoV]

Sheesh. No, he's complaining about how the consequences are not justified by its cause. Fallout 3 lets almost all choices go without consequences, and even the consequences don't have real impact.

I never had a problem with the "overpowered" guards. Although, his hyperbole makes it hard to understand what he is complaining about. In Fallout 3 you can't go around stealing and killing without people attacking you which is also true for Oblivion.

Funny you should mention that because stealing a plate of food and being caught causes the ENTIRE town to attack you; does that make sense?

 

[higgs20]

Calumon: Is being nice so hard? : (

i'm basically going to live the golden rule, calumon, im going to do unto others as they have done unto others (or me)
if they're rude and trying to blow up a city full of innocent people, ill stop them
if they're insane and trying to hurt people, ill stop them
if they're wishing me good morning and giving me helpful advice, ill be friendly back to them and wish them a good day

tahts the kind of person i want to be, but i dont want to ask for permission before taking out the bad guys, i just want to shoot them on sight

fallout isn't really big on the whole asking questions before you kill the bad guys thing, in some cases you can try and talk them out of their murderous spree or whatever but if you like you can blow their head off and call it a win.

 

[FalloutJack]

Hi. I'm a rarity in the market: A satisfied customer. The Fallout games, 3 and New Vegas, are worth playing. Don't have much else to say than that. You can either believe me or make your own decision.

 

[crudus]

Sheesh. No, he's complaining about how the consequences are not justified by its cause. Fallout 3 lets almost all choices go without consequences, and even the consequences don't have real impact.

I never had a problem with the "overpowered" guards. Although, his hyperbole makes it hard to understand what he is complaining about. In Fallout 3 you can't go around stealing and killing without people attacking you which is also true for Oblivion.

Funny you should mention that because stealing a plate of food and being caught causes the ENTIRE town to attack you; does that make sense?

That sounds like a great Utopian society actually.

Calumon: Is being nice so hard? : (

No, but sometimes you don't want to be nice

 

[FernandoV]

Sheesh. No, he's complaining about how the consequences are not justified by its cause. Fallout 3 lets almost all choices go without consequences, and even the consequences don't have real impact.

I never had a problem with the "overpowered" guards. Although, his hyperbole makes it hard to understand what he is complaining about. In Fallout 3 you can't go around stealing and killing without people attacking you which is also true for Oblivion.

Funny you should mention that because stealing a plate of food and being caught causes the ENTIRE town to attack you; does that make sense?

That sounds like a great Utopian society actually.

Calumon: Is being nice so hard? : (

No, but sometimes you don't want to be nice

I'm going to assume that means you agree with me...or don't have a proper retort.