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Irrational Interviews launches with Levine, Todd Howard
Usually, these miniposts are for smaller stories, but this time we're just trying to hurry to the good bit: Irrational's launched a new audio show called Irrational Interviews. In the first episode, Ken Levine and Shawn Elliott talk with Bethesda's Todd Howard. So, uhh ... what are you waiting for?
Bethesda clarifies MMO claims, Elder Scrolls V statements
Rather than let the statements made at QuakeCon 2009 by Elder Scrolls executive producer Todd Howard rest as they are, Bethesda's Pete Hines has clarified a few things on the company's blog. First and foremost, he wants to make sure that people know that another Elder Scrolls game will eventually be released. "Both Todd and I have said repeatedly that, of course, we're going to do another Elder Scrolls game," Hines outright states. Rather than comment directly on what Bethesda is currently working on, he instead notes that, "We aren't going to confirm or deny or comment on speculation, nor are we going to give hints about anything ... if you know us by now, you know we don't really do that." Hines additionally points out that Bethesda Softworks (the game studio) isn't working on an MMO at the moment, per the speculation surrounding a possible Elder Scrolls MMO. ZeniMax Online Studios, however, is working on an MMO, though "they have not said anything about what game they are making." It looks as though an upcoming Elder Scrolls MMO may be more likely than seeing numero cinco anytime soon, folks. What happened to that "possible 2010 release," eh, Bethesda?
Elder Scrolls V not in the works, there's a 'chance' for Elder Scrolls MMO
Bethesda's Todd Howard delivered a heart-crushing blow to fans of Oblivion (and the Elder Scrolls series as a whole) during a recent speech at QuakeCon 2009. When pressed about the company's next big project, Howard told the audience not to expect "Elder Scrolls V" any time soon. Amidst wails of anguish from the Tamriel enthusiasts in attendance, Howard followed that statement with a minor concession -- he joked that "there's always a chance" for an Elder Scrolls MMO. Flash forward to this morning, when stalwart internet lookyloo Supererogatory noticed a startling trend. A number of intriguingly named web domains use Zenimax's nameserver as their host -- domains such as ElderScrollsOnline.com, ElderScrollsMMO.com, TheElderScrollsMMOG.net, etc. This is so very far from a confirmation of the project -- but definitely food for thought following Howard's QuakeCon remarks.
QuakeCon 2009 detailed, first public demos of Rage and Brink
Nothing more clearly shows the new relationship forged by Zenimax Media between id Software and Bethesda Softworks than this year's QuakeCon lineup. Littered with little extras like an hour-long presentation by Bethesda's Todd Howard and the first public demonstration of Splash Damage's Brink, QuakeCon 2009 is clearly accommodating some new faces.That being said, id Software's John Carmack will be giving this year's keynote speech, and the event is still very much PC-centric, with Alienware, NVIDA and Ventrilo hosting a handful of events. Upcoming post-apocalyptic, not-Mad Max FPS Rage will also be getting its first public demo at the show, further asserting id Software into the event. For those of you attending, we encourage hounding Todd Howard for information on the next Elder Scrolls game during his Q&A -- if not for us, do it for the kids.
Bethesda has designed iPhone versions of Fallout 3
So, there's good news and bad news for those of you who'd like to carry the apocalpyse in your pocket. Bethesda wants to bring the Fallout series to smaller screens ... they just haven't figured out how to pull it off yet."I think that the world of Fallout is unique enough that it could work on any platform. I think some of the things we do like VATS, I think that could translate to any platform, particularly the iPhone," Todd Howard told us yesterday. "We've looked into those things, we just haven't found the thing that supports the brand well. I wouldn't be surprised if it does happen one day. The iPhone versions that we've designed and said 'Ehh, we don't think we're going to do that right now,' there are ... there are a lot of them."Could we maybe just have one?
WSJ explores claims of racism in Resident Evil 5
The Wall Street Journal's Jamin Brophy-Warren has a piece today exploring the racial connotations some are seeing in Capcom's latest effort, Resident Evil 5. The game's producer Jun Takeuchi recently said, "There is no racial element to it at all," and Capcom's Chris Kramer expands on that point, stating to the WSJ that the game adopts an "anti-colonialist" stance. Mr. Kramer is referring to white protagonist Chris Redfield, shooting his way through RE5's African non-zombies, and the imagery it represents with regards to traditional Western colonialism on the continent.The theme of the piece is one of exploring whether or not the game is racist, rather than starting with a condemnation and then going forward like we've seen so many times in mainstream video game coverage. He speaks to a variety of major game developers (from Fallout 3's Todd Howard to Dead Space's Glen Schofield) and even broaches the topic of racism in American society being perpetuated by a largely caucasian game industry. Surprisingly, no sweeping claims are made and no aspersions cast. Bravo, we say!
DICE 2009: Todd Howard on Bethesda's 3 rules of game development
Some of us had only just recovered from turning back the Daedric scourge in Tamriel before Bethesda took it upon itself to obliterate the countryside altogether in Fallout 3. Destruction of this magnitude takes planning, and speaking during last week's DICE summit in Las Vegas studio director Todd Howard laid out Bethesda's three simple rules for "making excellent games." According to MTV Multiplayer, Howard's vision for great game design can be distilled down into the following principles: 1) A dev's ability to leave even their favorite ideas on the cutting room floor, 2) the capability to think smaller and keep things simple and 3) being able to define a project "by the experience you want people to have," rather than just a laundry list of features. During his time on stage, the outspoken director also took issue with the importance of the Wii's overwhelming dominance of the console market, with Gamasutra reporting that Howard said "if install base really mattered, we'd all make board games, because there are a lot of tables." True, but we'd still be hard pressed to trade away our railway rifle and head shots for a pricey monopoly built on the smoldering ruins of Boardwalk and Park Place.Source -- The Following Colorful Wisdom Is From Todd HowardSource -- Bethesda's Howard On Supreme Playability
NYCC 09: Todd Howard, Ken Levine panel
So, what happens when you stick game developers Ken Levine (BioShock) and Todd Howard (Fallout 3) in a room with two outspoken games journalists for an hour? You get a fascinating discussion on how Eastern Europe has become a new haven for PC games, how Bollywood perfected The Lost and, of course, a lesson about Horse Armor. That, and Howard reveals Bethesda is working on an iPhone game. MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo and Newsweek's N'Gai Croal grilled both Levine and Howard on everything and anything gaming, and we were there to absorb it all.When asked about what he thought the most notable game of last year was, Levine answered he was intrigued with Russian dev Katauri Interactive's King's Bounty: The Legend. He pointed out that Eastern Europe has been thriving with PC games, noting that games like King's Bounty are good reason to keep an eye on the region. Todd Howard was asked by a fan where he draws the line on DLC, using Oblivion's Horse Armor as an example of seemingly unnecessary content, or content which should have been integrated initially. Howard responded saying that people shouldn't complain about the inclusion of DLC, as devs can't always include certain content within their given schedules. They're really extras for fans, he said; however, he ascribed merit to complaining about how much that content costs.One last interesting discussion of the afternoon included a glimpse into how companies are using Achievements/Trophies in more ways than just giving you – the gamer – an ego. Game companies are using these accolade systems to check up on completion rates on their games (determined by the number of gamers who've received endgame Achievements). Levine revealed that 50 percent of BioShock players finished the game, while Howard noted a 30 percent completion rate for Fallout 3. Both those titles represented a notch up from the average 20 percent.
NYCC 09: Bethesda developing iPhone title
In the closest thing you'll find to a Megaton announcement at New York Comic Con, Fallout 3 executive producer Todd Howard has confirmed during a panel at the show that Bethesda is now working on an iPhone game. News of this comes from Newsweek corespondent N'Gai Croal's twitter feed (we heard it, too -- sitting in the audience!) and includes no other details. That's because there weren't any. Whether the game is Fallout-related, Oblivion-related or something completely new, we're intrigued to find out. Who knows, maybe it's that ill-fated Oblivion PSP title that never made it to market. Check back later for our full report on the Todd Howard and Ken Levine panel at Comic Con.
Todd Howard's 'greatest' lessons from Fallout 3
While on some futile quest to learn more about the inevitable Fallout 4, MTV Multiplayer asked Bethesda's Todd Howard what lessons he learned from the current installment. His answer: "Greatest lesson? Don't let the game end, and don't have a level cap."We're going to have to agree with Howard on both counts. Although it appears PS3 owners won't be getting a reprieve from the game's brick wall ending, PC and X360 owners have the third DLC pack, Broken Steel, arriving in March. The pack allows players to continue past the "end" and raises the level cap to 30. We'd tell Bethesda not to make the same mistake again, but the company is going to make $10 off every Fallout 3 player that cares enough to continue. P.T. Barnum would be proud.
Todd Howard takes on Fallout 3 criticisms
Regardless of how many times its software is contending for Game of the Year accolades, Bethesda isn't immune to criticism and Fallout 3 is no exception. Speaking with MTV Multiplayer blog, Bethesda Softworks executive producer, Todd Howard, discussed three major complaints fans and haters alike have about the recently released Fallout 3.First criticism out of the gate is that Fallout 3 is only mediocre when judged as a shooter to which Todd Howard quickly agreed. Secondly, each ending of Fallout 3 has been blasted for its quick and dirty wrap up. Howard argues that many people are more upset about the game actually ending than the ending itself and promises the upcoming Broken Steel DLC will combat that by allowing players to continue their adventure. Lastly, critics say that VATS can be rather boring once players are able to almost always get a head shot. Howard says that everyone has a different concept of entertainment and watching a head explode in Fallout 3 never gets old for him, but he admits, "the 'to hit chance' for head shots is probably too high." Three complaints down. So, are you satisfied with Howard's responses to these Fallout 3 criticisms?
Bethesda: 'Fallout 4 before 2018'
Fallout 3's radiation sickness hasn't even begun to set in and already people are talking about another sequel. Understandable, given the pause between Fallout 2 and next week's post-nuclear follow up stretched on for a decade, a wait that Bethesda's executive producer Todd Howard even admits was a touch much. "I think it's good for people to miss things," Howard commented to Reuters. "Ten years between 'Fallout' is a bit long, but I think there's this nostalgia factor." In fact, the report notes that Howard thinks waiting three years or so is about right, though Bethesda's Pete Hines gives the inevitable sequel a wider berth. The company's VP of public relations tells Edge that it would be more accurate to expect Fallout 4 "before 2018" (since Howard did say 10 years was too long to wait). Geeze, by that time, we'll probably be living in our own apocalyptic wasteland, and Fallout will just be the game we play when we go outside. [Via Edge Online]
PAX 2008: Todd Howard talks Fallout 3, MODs & console power
In an interview with Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard we discussed Fallout 3's lack of a MOD support and this generation of consoles. While Howard admits the team wants to add support for user generated content he confesses adding the feature -- which was included in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion -- is a daunting task for a team eager to complete the epic adventure."We don't [have MOD support at launch], we want to but we have our hands so full with getting the game out and getting tools out there that work well for people and with the game is a pretty big undertaking," Howard told Joystiq. [MP3] Download this interview in MP3 format
The world lacks PAX in these five Fallout 3 gameplay videos
Fresh out of the Penny Arcade Expo are gameplay videos from Fallout 3. Todd Howard of Bethesda narrates each of the five videos. The first one is the very beginning of the game where you escape from Vault 101 located right outside of Washington DC to find out what happened to your father. You can configure how your character will look with a number of options, including a "face, various hairstyles, or a ludicrously long list of beards."The second video has your character approach a local town named Megaton, where inhabitants offer you advice and jobs. Mechanics demonstrated here include taking meds to make you smarter and listening to the PIPBoy transmissions. We won't spoil the rest for you guys, but definitely watch the end of the fifth video for a ... funghi surprise. All the videos are after the jump.
Joystiq interview: Bethesda's Todd Howard on Fallout 3
Hopefully we're not in danger of providing Fallout 3 overload, and if you haven't gotten the idea yet, we're really looking forward to this game. It's literally a cool science fiction series skin slapped on top of Oblivion, but we're not complaining about that. Blowing away mutants in the wasteland? Yes, please. Here's the meat and bones from our time with Bethesda's Todd Howard, and you can listen to the full audio interview below. After the break, find out some tidbits like the size of the world, how many radio stations are in the game, and why you won't be dual-wielding or buying horse armor. Oh, and be sure to pay attention to the exploding pants achievement.
New pics, new perks and no traits for Fallout 3
click to embiggen We talked about the exhaustive Fallout 3 Q&A yesterday, but there are a few morsels of information we want to point out specifically, chief among them are new images that reveal the Megaton Bar, a "shotgun on robot" and the Pip-Boy skills menu.For the Fallout purists, chances are you'll be dismayed to hear that traits have been taken out of the game and melded into the perks system, which has been modified to where you're allowed a new perk with every level. "That was a hard decision for us, and one that took, literally, years," said executive producer Todd Howard, who noted that the traits and perks system were so related that many of the design-a-perk contest entrants were actually traits. According to Howard, if you include ranks, there are about 100 perks available and only 19 chances to pick a perk each game (level cap is 20). No worries, though, because "Bloody Mess" is still available, and that's all we need to hear to be satisfied.%Gallery-3507%
Fallout 3 making its way to PS3 consoles in Fall 2008
The teaser trailer came up earlier today and in case you haven't seen it, we've embedded it for you after the break. Although it's too early to determine specifics between the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, the teaser still gives us a taste of what Bethesda has in store for its first go-round with the fan favorite. Bethesda purchased the Fallout franchise from Interplay back in April, giving them free reign on the upcoming sequel, and thank goodness Todd Howard posted his proclamation about caring for the franchise, lest crazed fanboys do something ... crazy. Bethesda's Pete Hines described the teaser as "in-engine," and goes on to say it's "not real-time" but that it was created using game assets in an in-house designed engine. So, in other words, it's not like the 2005 E3 trailer for Killzone, got it? Fallout is projected for a simultaneous release on all next-gen consoles (and PC) for Fall of 2008.
PS3's Blu-ray drive speed could be reason for Oblivion delay
GameSetWatch has singled out a tidbit about the PlayStation 3 version of Oblivion that's sure to ignite fanboy ire. According to comments made by Bethesda's Todd Howard in the latest issue of EGM, the development team is using extra space on the Blu-ray disc to duplicate crucial data and improve load times. "Drive speed matters more to me [than capacity], and Blu-ray is slower," Howard told EGM.This is a sketchy workaround, as it could be susceptible to issues caused by data irregularities; GSW notes, "What happens if you don't have your pieces of data correctly sync-ed and one of them is an old version of an object/piece of code and one is a newer version?" A better, albeit unpopular solution, is to include an option to install a chunk of a game directly onto the hard drive (Genji has this option; so does Ridge Racer). Bethesda's use of the extra Blu-ray disc capacity is clever, but hopefully won't become the standard.Overall, we know that the Xbox 360 drive reads data faster than PS3's. While the Blu-ray drive might consistently read data at the same speed, the 360 drive is faster at reading data on the outer layers of the DVD disc; and that's were devs tend to put the biggest files.While EGM makes no note of it, it's worth considering that drive speed concerns played into Oblivion's delay. Will this become an issue for other cross-platform titles?
