Fallout 3 Gets Leaked, Goes Gold

Fallout 3 is due to be released in a few weeks, and Bethesda recently announced that all versions of the game have gone gold. They provided the systems specs for the PC release as well. Unfortunately for them, the Xbox 360 version was leaked onto torrent sites almost three weeks early. Bethesda is "looking into" how the game was distributed. In preparation for the launch, game director Todd Howard spoke at length with Gamasutra about the scope of the project, and the differences from their previous games, such as Oblivion. CrispyGamer recently ran a three-part series detailing their four hours of hands-on time with the game. We've previously looked at some gameplay videos for Fallout 3, and discussed the fact that no mod tools will ship with the game.

Comments

Some Fallout

[netruner]

Was there a "Falling Out" with a disgruntled employee?

There will definitely be some "Fallout" for the leak.

Re:Some Fallout

[Ethanol-fueled]

Speaking of leaking, Fallout 3 also comes with the limited edition piss-bucket so the truly hardcore gamers can play 24/7 without interruption.

Re:Some Fallout

[binarylarry]

Now you're talking!

Sounding more like a bargain every time this article is posted to Slashdot!

Re:Some Fallout

[nine-times]

I wonder what the FALLOUT from this leak will be.

(ha ha, snort, we're funny!)

Re:Some Fallout

[Rob T Firefly]

Unfortunately for them, the Xbox 360 version was leaked onto torrent sites almost three weeks early. Bethesda is "looking into" how the game was distributed.

Well you see, Bethesda, as a downloader downloads parts of the file, they also upload the parts they have to other downloaders, and so on from peer to peer...

Re:Some Fallout

[Anonymous Coward]

but does it come with poopsocks too?

Re:Some Fallout

[Anonymous Coward]

Will you be here all week?

(No veal is worth this!)

Re:Some Fallout

[Anonymous Coward]

...for limited values of "we" or "funny"...

Re:Some Fallout

[Mex]

Oh man, your post is like a Chernobyl of bad jokes, I think I'm getting radiation poisoning!

Re:Some Fallout

[Anonymous Coward]

My first thoughts exactly.

Re:Some Fallout

[Anonymous Coward]

You're half-wrong- No Mutants Allowed has been around for quite a while now.

Re:Some Fallout

[aliquis]

Will the expansion include cartmans mom?

Re:Some Fallout

[Handlarn]

The truly hardcore gamers won't play it but they can likely find a use for it during the long sessions of bashing the game on forums for not being in isometric view.

Reminiscent of Halo 2

[lessthanpi]

Ahh, good old torrent leaks. This brings me back to ought 4 when the French released Halo 2 weeks before the official release date. Those were good times...

Re:Reminiscent of Halo 2

[The Evil Couch]

You're getting reminiscent about something that happened four years ago?

GET OFF MY LAWN!

Oh come on

[Prikolist]

I want the PC version leaked!

Re:Oh come on

[Anonymous Coward]

It could have been worse, they could have leaked the PS3 version...

And the only reason I know there's a PS3 version is because Fallout 3 is yet another PS3 game that won't support Sony's Achievement ripoff, bringing the total number of non-Sony games to support that feature to, uh, 0.

Re:Oh come on

[bonch]

So you can pirate it?

Re:Oh come on

[LazyBoot]

well, last I checked (about 2 secs ago) Burnout paradise is a "non-Sony" game that DOES support said feature...

WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[Anonymous Coward]

This game turned out to be a disaster.

Such a great franchise deserves better.

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[revlayle]

Going with Bethesda? Bethesda BOUGHT the Fallout franchise from Interplay (which has gone down the shitter near 100%) 3-4 years ago. In fact, the IP Interplay is using for the Fallout MMO (that they are supposedly working on) had to be licensed from Bethesda to use after the sale of said IP.

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Bethesda BOUGHT the Fallout"

Oh god, no!

So many people were talking about just ignoring this turd and waiting for a real sequel to come out in a few years.

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[revlayle]

Interplay WAS working on a Fallout 3 back in 2003. Then the project was canceled and the entire Black Isle Studio team was laid off. In addition, most of those employees had to legally fight to get their pay that they were owed. Most employees didn't get a settlement until a few years later. Interplay went bankrupt (chapter 7 style). Basically, Herver Caen (the CEO), since he took over the company in the early 2000 (do I have that right) basically took the company for a Titanic like ride and pretty much gutted it for anything worthwhile. The Fallout franchise sale was a probably a way to liquid assets it had to cover legal and back-pay costs they were racking up. While Beth may not make the best F3 game in the world, honestly, could have been a lot of worse companies to give it to (I'm sure a few better ones could have been thought, also).

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[mog007]

Just some clarification. Interplay was going down the tubes, so they sold the rights to Fallout sequels to Bethesda. After a few months, and more fines and such piling up against Interplay, they sold the rights to the entire Fallout franchise to Bethesda in exchange for some more money and rights to a Fallout MMO.

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[nine-times]

I dealing with the other component of the the complaint-- I'm not sure Bethesda won't do a good job here. Oblivion had a few problems, but IMO it showed at least a technical competence to make a good Fallout game. The writing and voice acting in Oblivion need to be improved, and I can definitely see lots of things that could be refined. I also hope that, in Fallout, they don't level enemies throughout the game.

In case anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about, in Oblivion, enemies everywhere become more difficult as you level up. That means you can pretty much go anywhere and do anything early in the game, but there is less payoff for leveling up. The old Fallout games took a different approach, making enemies harder in certain areas, those areas being places that you shouldn't really get to until later in the game.

But with Oblivion, Bethesda has succeeded in making a big and open world that feels relatively organic. You can find lots of little side-quests and explore on your own, and your choices make at least a little bit of a difference in what happens. Plus, you can really specialize your character, and what kind of character you build has a substantial effect on how you can approach problems, as well as how people react to you. Take all that and mix in a little Fallout style, and you have a game that I'll play. It might not be everything that I've always imagined Fallout 3 might be, but it should be interesting.

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[revlayle]

That's my take. I'm not sure if it will be the Fallout 3 I always wanted. However, still looks like a very entertaining game in the somewhat-spirit of Fallout. I am waiting for a few reviews, esp. from those journalists that understand the history of the series a bit before I just run out and buy it. SO far it is certainly on "will buy more than likely" list.

Just a note on Fallout 3 - the level scaling is pretty much nixed. Thee is a bit of here here and there (kinda like an instancing level scaling), but some areas will screw you over outright, and some places will be very easy when you return to them later on.

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[Molochi]

I enjoyed Oblivion, but I cheated a lot to gain that enjoyment. There was no penalty (that I could detect) for not sleeping, you only leveled when you slept for an hour, and skills appeared to continue going up regardless of your level. So I played most of the game at level 9 and then when I got tired of those critters and gear, stopped "waiting" (which did not level you) and did 4 1 hour "sleeps". Then did the same thing later.

To me it was a very pretty sandbox game with a storyline. I expect more of the same with Fallout. I hope the voice acting is implemented better. I hope that generic bandits don't start out with with bows and hide armor in the beginning and then 10 hours into the game come equipped with chain lasers and plasteel powerarmor in the sameareas. We'll see.

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[empty_other]

Sigh.. Yes, i miss Black Isle. And their Fallout 3 (which was codenamed Van Buren, btw). I tried it, the tech demo has been released on the internet. And it seemed REALLY promising. And to think they was to release Baldurs Gate 3 on the same engine? Incredible engine. Well, i dont remember where i got the tech demo, but here's a youtube of Van Buren: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uuDKrY7eW0 I do not believe Bethesda will be as true to the source as the Van Buren engine got...

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[Repossessed]

Interplay, when they sold the rights to Fallout, kept the right for an MMO, at least according to the articles at the time.

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[mcvos]

This game turned out to be a disaster.

Did it? I haven't played it yet, but from previews and reviews, my impression is that it's not all that bad, particularly for a Bethesda game. Not as brilliant as FO1&2, but definitely a good buy.

And I just learned that a CD check is all the copyprotection it's going to get, so DRM is no excuse to boycott this game either (although I still intend to get the no-cd patch).

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[ubrgeek]

It looks very nice, but I can't tell if it's first-person or a hybrid first/third. At one point in the first video it looks like we see the player from the back. I'd hope it can be played as a hybrid as I can't play first-person games for more than about 20 minutes before I get motion sickness. Really sucks as there are obviously a ton of games out there I just can't play.

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[Anonymous Coward]

can switch between 3rd/1st at will AFAIK

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[black_lbi]

Are you high or something? That's basically the same game ... You would rather have another game identical to fallout1 and fallout2? What's the point? Even with the better graphics, it doesn't make any sense ...

Re:WTF Were They Thinking Going With Bethesda?

[Anonymous Coward]

(I'm sure a few better ones could have been thought, also).

Bioware

Well one good thing about leaks

[hypergreatthing]

Better for everyone because it makes them come out with the game sooner!

What boggles my mind is why sit on the game until some arbitrary release date and why not sell it sooner?

I noticed a crapload of games slated for end of oct/begining of nov. Stuff like Fallout 3, gears of war 2, wow: lich king. Who's great idea was it to flood the market at some seemingly random time?

Sell the damn game when it's ready!

Unless it's some marketing ploy that's sold as a "Fire your employees before the game comes out so you can cash in on it's success even better(TM)".

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[revlayle]

Ready means they are ready for the packaging and distribution process. When something goes GOLD doesn't mean, it's ready to be on the shelf the next day. It means it is ready to duplicate CDs, make packaging (luckily the packaging aspect may have a bit of lead time), send to distributors and retailers. Also when GOLD, any online distributing (which may not be available for F3) deals can be finalized. Even if online distribution was an option, there is no way they would break the release date online and step on the retail outlets toes, as most sales still come from brick and mortar locations (or locations that ship physical product to your door).

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[houstonbofh]

Better for everyone because it makes them come out with the game sooner!

What boggles my mind is why sit on the game until some arbitrary release date and why not sell it sooner?

I noticed a crapload of games slated for end of oct/begining of nov. Stuff like Fallout 3, gears of war 2, wow: lich king. Who's great idea was it to flood the market at some seemingly random time?

Sell the damn game when it's ready!

Unless it's some marketing ploy that's sold as a "Fire your employees before the game comes out so you can cash in on it's success even better(TM)".

Isn't there some big holiday soon after that where a lot of people spend a lot of money on consumer stuff... Jeese... It is right on the tip of my tung...

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Anonymous Coward]

A seemingly random time? You mean in the ramp up to the Xmas season?

Everyone wants their game on the retailers shelves by/(preferably before well before, so they can make sure no snafu's make it miss) Black Friday. A month before BF gets the buzz going well so everyone knows what to buy then. 2 months before Christmas may seem random to you, but it's not to the folks that know sales.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Hatta]

I came here to say exactly this. They wouldn't have any problems with early leaks if they made it available for downloading as soon as the final image was mastered.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[The Moof]

Simply put, marketing. It's alot easier to compete with no other AAA title the week of release. The upcoming weeks are pretty crammed with titles bringing alot of hype. Dead Space (this week), Fable II (next week), Gears of War 2 (11/7), etc. And that's just on the 360

Instead, their biggest competition will be Guitar Hero World Tour, which I don't really seeing big competition to Fallout.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Anonymous Coward]

Its called 'Nail the fake religious guy to an arbitrary symbol to get believers day'.. aka Flying Spaghetti Monster Day.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[hypergreatthing]

Hallo-giving?

Wrong timing, games would come out after thanksgiving if that was the case.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Broken scope]

Wouldn't that be closer to Easter on the modern calender? Maybe your thinking of when the guy was supposedly born.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Culture20]

Wrong timing, games would come out after thanksgiving if that was the case.

In the U.S.A., Christmas sales have already started (with weird marketing ads; jack-o-lanterns wearing Santa hats). The best part about releasing a game for Christmas sales period: The geeks will buy the games, and some people who shop for the geeks will buy the games (ostensibly for the geeks because they've been raving about game XYZ for months), sit on them for a couple months, then give them as gifts Dec 25th, only to find out that they can't be returned at some retailers.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Sancho]

Release dates mean a lot. Playing with them lets you adjust your income based upon your fiscal year (look at Harry Potter 6 release date shenanigans.) Shareholders want consistent earnings from year to year, not large fluctuations, for example. There are also times of the year when people tend to use their disposable income more freely, such as around holidays. Releasing your game too far from, say, Christmas means that a great deal of your marketing (which will almost certainly coincide with the release date) won't be as effective when people are actually spending the money.

Then there are other release considerations. Who wants to release their flagship product at the same time that another company has a major release? There are a lot of things that need to be considered when picking a release date--it's not as simple as "release it when it's ready."

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[hypergreatthing]

Yes, because coming out with a game that's ready in early october would be horribly detrimental compared to early november.

Wait, umm, why? Are you saying it won't be on the shelves anymore?

How about stop playing with the numbers and play to your customers (in a good way, not in that molestation way)

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[MozeeToby]

I just don't understand this logic. Why do you feel that you have a right to the game as soon as it is complete? Doesn't the company have a right (actually, a responsibilty to thier shareholders) to maximize their profit through marketing and targeted release dates?

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Machtyn]

as most sales still come from brick and mortar locations

That may be true, but if what I've heard about Fallout 3 containing DRM, I'll wait until it is stripped of it and released on Steam (I like Steam's DRM scheme better, if one has to exist).

Of course, I'd rather not have any DRM and I may get the boxed set anyway if they include some nice stuff. (The Fallout series is worth keeping some collectibles around.)

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Chaos Incarnate]

Making it available ASAP won't hurt the profit unless it's a crappy game, though. And in that case, they'd be better off fixing it so they can sell more copies over time instead of hoping that a bunch of people buy it day one before any reviews hit.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't be too harsh with him. Highly intelligent people that are far too smart to be duped by religion don't have time to differentiate between silly things like Christmas and Easter.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[f()rK()_Bomb]

bethesda have said the only drm will b something small, like oblivions, i.e. a cd in the drive check

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Anonymous Coward]

I was thinking of halloween.. isnt that when those religious nuts nail people to a cross? Why else would you want to do that if not for a scary holiday type event?

I'm still waiting for Gary Od to come forward and claim copyright for the bible. Its one hell of a work of fiction.. bit boring i'll admit but the ending rocks.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[servognome]

Making it available ASAP won't hurt the profit unless it's a crappy game, though. And in that case, they'd be better off fixing it so they can sell more copies over time instead of hoping that a bunch of people buy it day one before any reviews hit.

Unless there is a major bug found that could result in a lawsuit. Look back at the Myth 2 install bug, it was found after gold but before significant distribution. Why is it wrong for a company to release it when they are ready to?

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Hatta]

I don't, of course I don't. That said, any delay in releasing the game will increase the likelihood of a leak occurring. That's just the facts. If they really don't want any leaks, they shouldn't give anyone a chance to beat them to release.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Machtyn]

Thank you for clarifying.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Chaos Incarnate]

Except gold master status is the very definition of being ready to release, as far as the software is concerned. (That obviously doesn't apply to duplication, packaging, etc.)

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[petermgreen]

media companies don't want thier products (whether books, movies or games) to appear in a trickle. A trickle would mean retailers who manage to get stock are likely to charge high prices (which leaves customers with the impression the game is very expensive) and means spoilers and pirate copies are likely to be widely spread before most people get thier copy of the product.

So they decide on a release pricepoint, estimate the demand at that pricepoint and then organise a release so that the release day lines up with the marketing campaign and with the availibility of sufficiant product that supplies won't run out. Of course this all screws up if someone leaks the game first.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[MozeeToby]

Parents start shopping for the holiday season starting in late October, early Novemeber. They are more likely to choose to buy the game that is most prominantly displayed. During the holiday rush, dozens of games are release and games don't get to have the massive display for long before it is pushed out by some other game. Therefore, it can be extremely advantagous to wait until the holiday rush has begun to release your game.

Marketing and timing can make a huge difference in a games success, especially for games released for the holiday season. To be fair, I don't think it would matter as much for games such as Fallout 3, it is targeted to an older, already attached audience. If this were a title like LittleBigPlanet (new audience, younger target) for instance, releasing a couple of weeks early could be devastating.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Anonymous Coward]

If some of the other games on Steam are any indication, then you'll probably get the DRM that comes with the game plus the Steam DRM.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Anonymous Coward]

Guy Fawkes Day?

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[afidel]

Unless your the reigning king of profitable game franchises (Blizzard) in which case you do just release it when it's ready. WoW for instance was released late in the holiday schedule (11/23), BC was released in January and Diablo 2 was released in June.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[spire3661]

Steam doesnt automatically mean that the publisher's DRM is stripped off. There are games on Steam from third parties with Securerom

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Antique Geekmeister]

Except that the marketing and game reviews are all planned for few weeks later. The excitement of a new game release, and getting the reviews out at the right time and the ads and the product placement in the gamestores, goes a long way towards helping even a poor game sell better. With a first-rate game, it can represent enough money to hire new staff and make an even more sophisticated game next time.

Not every company budgets and has business plans like this, but the early release of Halo 2 when the source code was stolen definitely hurt games sales, infruriated their staff, hurt advertising and the sales of game guides, and created real problems for them. The fact that it gave Steam another excuse to release the game late didn't help their sales or the game quality, either.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Kingrames]

um, World of Warcraft has a major content patch tomorrow and a month afterwards, an expansion.

There's going to be some heavy competition in the weeks ahead. Thankfully I can afford both.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Kingrames]

I should theoretically have the right to a working, complete demo as soon as or BEFORE the game is released. It's the ONLY WAY to sate my appetite for playing while keeping my interest in your product.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[houstonbofh]

Guy Fawkes Day?

Remember, remember, the games of November... :) I like it!

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[stpk4]

I don't, of course I don't. That said, any delay in releasing the game will increase the likelihood of a leak occurring. That's just the facts. If they really don't want any leaks, they shouldn't give anyone a chance to beat them to release.

HAHAHAHAH

That's like saying carry a bomb onto the plane so you reduce the chance of there being a terrorist with a bomb on the plane,

or to quote the simpsons

Lisa: ...this rock keeps tigers away.
Homer: Lisa, I would like to BUY your rock

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[lgw]

Name some? Bioshock seemed free of that nonsense in the Steam version.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[lgw]

You want your big advertising spend to coincide with the timem of year when the most people are buying. A month-old game just doesn't have the same buzz.

It quite rare, of course, for any game to be ready *early*. November usuallly sees a bunch of half-fininshed games rushed to market as patchware.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[rtechie]

What boggles my mind is why sit on the game until some arbitrary release date and why not sell it sooner?

They don't. You don't understand game development.

The fact is, virtually all "big" games like Fallout 3 ship late. Usually VERY late. This is because of unforeseen problems that arise during development which stretch out development times. Typically development times are stretched to fix bugs and add features as long as possible, and even then the game is "rushed out the door" with engineers working very long hours to fix bugs and finalize code. Much of the time the release date is picked because that's the day when the company runs out of money to keep moving the project forward (really). Developers are also rewarded for shipping a game "early" (which, in general, means not as late as usual), but more often than not they don't meet these targets.

Only games with deep multimedia connections, like Force Unleashed, are delayed due to the marketing and the tie-in products not being ready.

And finally, as many posters pointed out, games in general tend to be released between late October - early December to take advantage of the holiday season.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Anonymous Coward]

Bioshock isn't free of that nonsense on the STEAM version. STEAM clearly labels the games with the extra DRM when they're there.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Skuldo]

You mean Half Life 2. Halo 2 is an Xbox game.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[servognome]

Except gold master status is the very definition of being ready to release, as far as the software is concerned. (That obviously doesn't apply to duplication, packaging, etc.)

It's ready for replication, not necessarily ready for general release. Commercial problems can creep up that require changes to software even after it's gone gold.
Besides, release terminology are just guidelines, just look at the Google perpetual beta.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[n00854180t]

Fallout 3 doesn't really compete with World of Warcraft. The latter isn't even really an RPG, but more of a 3D chat room/social gathering area sort of thing with a lackluster game component tacked on. The group of people that plays single player RPGs and the group that plays MMOs are very different, though of course there is overlap. Most WoW players probably won't even pick up Fallout 3 simply because they spend most of their gaming time playing WoW.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[totally bogus dude]

STALKER: Clear Sky is marked on Steam as using additional copy protection, I think TAGES. If you've got STEAM just go look at the product page for it, I think it's in the bottom right corner under the other specifications.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[mcvos]

I was thinking of halloween.. isnt that when those religious nuts nail people to a cross?

That's when nuts go door to door to ask for candy, while others dress up as scary creatures.

I'm not aware of any holiday where religious nuts nail people to crosses, but Christ was nailed to a cross on Good Friday, a few days before Easter (in spring).

I'm still waiting for Gary Od to come forward and claim copyright for the bible. Its one hell of a work of fiction.. bit boring i'll admit but the ending rocks.

That suggests you've read it, but I don't believe that.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[beetle496]

> [Parents] are more likely to choose to buy the game that is most prominantly displayed.

FWIW the advertising (wall boards) here in the Washington DC metro is crazy heavy.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[andi75]

The parent makes two important points. Somehow it got modded troll because of a side-note bashing of WoW, so I'll repeat them:

Fallout 3 doesn't really compete with World of Warcraft.

- The group of people that plays single player RPGs and the group that plays MMOs are very different, though of course there is overlap.
- However, most WoW players probably won't even pick up Fallout 3 simply because they spend most (or all) of their gaming time playing WoW.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Cornelius the Great]

And he also meant Valve. Steam is the content delivery platform, not the company.

GP must have a shitty memory.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Free the Cowards]

Hilarious. A completely illogical post complaining about the non-existent illogic of someone else's post.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Kingrames]

I play wow and intend to purchase Fallout 3.

Just because you don't intend to play both doesn't mean that the rest of us don't. There are plenty of people who don't restrict themselves to a handful of games.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[xhrit]

The Force Unleashed was not delayed due to the marketing and the tie-in products not being ready - the action figures, books comics and such were finished last year. there were some pretty major spoilers in the wotc' star wars miniatures set, released November 16, 2007. nope, tfu was delayed because the devs couldn't get the hodge podge ov liscenced tech to work correctly.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Antique Geekmeister]

Oh, yes, thank you for the correction. But in turn, Halo 2 is also a Vista game (deliberately massaged to keep it from being installed on Windows XP, for no good reason and installable there with very modest software manipulation).

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[Skuldo]

Its a port, Xbox version was released in 2004, Vista version didn't get released until 2007.

Re:Well one good thing about leaks

[n00854180t]

I said "most" in my original comment. I also noted there is overlap. Many many many people that play WoW do so almost entirely for the social aspect: because their friends play. They tend not to be gamers in general. I don't think you fall into that category, and are instead just a regular gamer that happens to play WoW, and thus you're likely to buy and play Fallout 3. Also, even regular gamers may not play it for the other reason I stated (assuming they're hardcore lifesucked into WoW), which is that they allot all of their gaming time to WoW (raid groups etc.).

Won't do me any good.

[Kid Zero]

No xbox 360.

My Current PC sure won't run it. I've got Fallout and Fallout two, thanks to GOG.com again so I'm happy for now. :)

Re:Won't do me any good.

[Anonymous Coward]

Damnit! Then this whole leak was pointless! Ok, what system do you have? We'll get working on it right away!

Re:Won't do me any good.

[Anonymous Coward]

thanks for that useless post.

Re:Won't do me any good.

[Anonymous Coward]

Your post is less useful than a GNAA troll.

We don't give a fuck about you playing the first two games or your plug for gog.com.

Re:Won't do me any good.

[elrous0]

Thanks for keeping us posted one the minutia of your life, man. Be sure and post here to let use know about all the other stuff you don't have or aren't able to do. We're dying to know.

Re:Won't do me any good.

[Beyond_GoodandEvil]

Thanks for keeping us posted one the minutia of your life, man. Be sure and post here to let use know about all the other stuff you don't have or aren't able to do. We're dying to know.
Isn't that what twitter is for?(not the /. dude)

Re:Won't do me any good.

[meringuoid]

Ok, what system do you have? We'll get working on it right away!

BeOS, please. And my friends here would like copies for Amiga and RiscOS.

Re:Won't do me any good.

[achenaar]

Sod the ACs, I just recently found out about gog.com, and it's neat, and relevant, so there.
Seriously, these are *comments* related to the original story. The bar isn't set very high. Complain about ACs with racist/obscene comments that don't belong here, not appropriate comments.
Honestly.

Re:Won't do me any good.

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank you for your useless reply to the marginally more useful parent post. Of course, several other people have also pointed out that the parent post was fairly useless... So... You managed the fabled double-whammy of being useless AND redundant! Huzzah!

At least the people who beat you to the punch had the sense to post AC - Enjoy the well-earned karma burn.

Re:Won't do me any good.

[elrous0]

And ditto for your useless comment to my useless comment to someone else's useless comment.

Re:Won't do me any good.

[lysergic.acid]

i agree with you that the GP isn't really off-topic, but i just want to point out that some of the GOG.com titles aren't really that old. i mean, Collin McRae Rally 2005? that's considered a PC classic? it is pretty cool to see MDK on there though.

personally, i wish Fallout would get ported to the PSP. there's been an extreme dearth of sci-fi RPGs for the PSP, and i think this is a franchise that would do well on that system. but seeing as that's not going to happen, i just wanna ask if anyone remembers any good sci-fi RPGs that were released for PSX?

Re:Won't do me any good.

[achenaar]

Not played either but a quick google reveals Xenogears and Chrono Cross.
This is getting off-topic now though isn't it...

Re:Won't do me any good.

[lysergic.acid]

yea, you're probably right. i meant games similar to Fallout. for instance, i heard Silent Storm has a similar feel to Fallout, although it's set in World War II and leans more towards spy-fi. but i guess there probably aren't a lot of games like that. it's pretty rare that you find a game that mixes a good plot, rich back story, and original gameplay.

Re:Won't do me any good.

[FLEB]

So... you get it cheap, on demand, and DRM free, and you complain that it's not old enough?

Re:Won't do me any good.

[mcvos]

Damnit! Then this whole leak was pointless! Ok, what system do you have? We'll get working on it right away!

Could you leak it in a Debian install package?

I think this will be a good thing for the game

[aka_big_wurm]

There are not a lot of 360's out there that can run pirated games, this may help the game more than it will hurt it.

Re:I think this will be a good thing for the game

[Anonymous Coward]

Well there will be one more tomorrow. I have had an Xbox 360 with a bad power supply and maybe a blown cap on the board laying around for a year now, with my EE background I think I am going to give a go at fixing it than modding it.

You need a modded 360 to play it.

[Dr. Manhattan]

Maybe from Sony's perspective, Blu-ray was an extra hurdle to help reduce piracy. There are a lot more DVD burners than Blu-ray burners, for now.

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[Anonymous Coward]

If you can mod a PS3 to play pirated games, couldn't you modify it to play off the network?

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[Anonymous Coward]

The PS3 has been out for two years next month. It still hasn't been hacked. All the console pirating is Wii and the 360.

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[Anonymous Coward]

It has not been hacked because nobody cares about it.

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[elrous0]

It hasn't been hacked because no hacker owns one.

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[Splab]

Actually the PS3 is pretty annoying in that regard, had to go buy me a standalone DVD player since the PS3 Hypervisor prevents me from playing any region DVDs on it. Thus far I have found no work around, so it seems like Sony figured out how to do it proper.

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[chaim79]

Probably dealing as much with the space requirements as anything else, a 5-7 gb download is no-where near a 30 - 50 gb download, most computers wouldn't have enough free space to handle more then two of them sitting around (to seed) and there wouldn't be very much demand for them with very few people having Blue-Ray burners.

I suspect there won't be a real PS3 disk-based game piracy issue for a while, Blue-Ray will have to be a lot more popular and HD space & bandwidth will have to be pushed in order to make it worth anyone's while.

However, if someone would get on hacking download-able games I'd be all for it, especially if they got home-brew games working, I'd love to be able to dink around with programming a game, load it using USB, and play around with it. I'd probably never be able to do anything impressive but I'd have some fun and interest.

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[Narishma]

You can do that already legally by installing Linux on the PS3. You don't get access to the RSX but it shouldn't be a problem since you said you wouldn't do anything fancy with it anyway.

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[petermgreen]

does anyone have any idea how big PS3 games actually are? Sure the console may support 50 gigs on one disc but I would have thought with multiplatform games at least they would be about the same size on all the platforms they supported.

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[Anonymous Coward]

mininova + convertXtoDVD = doesn't know the difference.

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[chaim79]

The two I know about are PS3 only:

• Ratchet & Clank, Future, Tools of Destruction: approx 25gb (stayed single layer, just barely)
• Metal Gear Solid 4: approx 50gb (pushed limits of dual layer)

I'm not sure of others, though I've heard that Resistance 2 is also nearing 50gb (another PS3 exclusive).

The only thing I've heard from the multi-platform crowd is that Oblivion used some more space for better textures on the PS3 version of the game, but beyond that tidbit there was no news about what the size difference was. I for one would be interested in more details on that type of stuff, but very few developers are so open about their games (the reason I know so much about Insomniac games is because of their podcast).

Re:You need a modded 360 to play it.

[Penguinoflight]

Not only that, but microsoft has started banning 360's that have played pre-released titles. If you must play this early make sure you don't connect to xbox live until it's released, even then you could run into trouble.

Attack of the torrents...

[Dr.D.IS.GREAT]

Its a shame all of us Fallout fantaticle folk have been subject to wait so long for this title. Its kinda like when HL 2 was released, them hackerly folks hacked and slashed it and torrented it up on the internets/torrentz. I forsee this to be a rising trend in PC gaming as well as on the console side of things for we are bound to using standard media for console games IE CD/DVDs. this is gunna be another one of those DRM ridden releases if we /. folk are not carefull. DO NOT TELL THE WORLD HORATIO, DO NOT TELL THE WORLD!!!

The real scary thing to consider is that Fallout 3 may be subject to the same BS that HL2 had, steam - a glorified activation front end to be the one DRM to rule them all.

Dr. D

Re:Attack of the torrents...

[Anonymous Coward]

To Beth's credit (regardless of the quality of the game they have made) - their DRM strategy for the retail game is basically no DRM... or at least super minimal like Morrowind and Oblivion. If it is distributed online, then they are probably subject to whatever DRM scheme's the online providers have.

review copy

[socsoc]

The leaked 360 version isn't retail, but is a review copy. The interwebs have given a lot of flack to SEED4ME about their releases.

Re:review copy

[Drakin020]

Fine by me.

I torrent games to use them as somewhat of a Demo. I play it to see if I like it, if I like it and am still interested I go out and buy it.

Re:review copy

[orielbean]

Been playing it now. It's very fun. I am also barely smart enough to not plug the freakin ethernet cable in while doing so. That's just asking for trouble. And if it's a 1:1 copy with the new FW, how would MS tell the difference between a legit review copy given to Game Informer vs the one I burned with my DL burner? Rock-It Launcher is lots of fun.

Re:review copy

[bonch]

Yeah, right. And I'm sure all the other people downloading the file chunks from you while you're downloading it from them are treating it as a "demo" too. All these demo-ers!

Re:review copy

[Drakin020]

What other people do is not my concern.

Re:review copy

[Anonymous Coward]

However you have to justify it bub.

Re:review copy

[Anonymous Coward]

You're still an enabler of bad activity (sharing to people pirating). It's like helping your friend rob a bank, and then telling the police "well, I didn't keep any of the money for myself!". You still helped someone else do something incorrect.

I pirate games from time to time, but I don't lie to myself about what it is I'm doing.

Re:review copy

[Anonymous Coward]

It is your concern depending on the circumstances, because you can be an unwitting accomplice. If you left your car unlocked every night, with the keys under the visor, and someone discovered this and used your car to do illegal things like burglary before returning it... you would arguably be considered irresponsible for not making a minimum effort to limit access to your car.

I knew a spoiled young man who would take anything out of any unlocked car, because he believed the owner didn't value the contents enough to protect them.

It's the same as putting a password on your shared iTunes library, or putting a key on your wireless internet, or locking a loaded gun in your desk, or putting salt on your icy sidewalk, or a CAUTION sign on a wet floor.

We are in fact tangentially responsible for the actions of each other. Simply because some people will (obliviously or amorally) do anything they potentially can do.

Re:review copy

[phoenix0783]

That is BS. While you're downloading your "demo" other people are also downloading it from you. You're propagating piracy. Of you want to know if a game is good go read some reviews.

Re:review copy

[gnick]

What other people do is not my concern.

Crack dealers tell themselves the same thing when they break the law.

Note - I'm in no way implies that piracy == drug dealing. But helping people act unethically and then disavowing any personal responsibility is crap.

Re:review copy

[Anonymous Coward]

Then you should be concerned about getting locked out of Live (according to the GP link).

Re:review copy

[life atom]

Why not use a Demo?

Re:review copy

[Anonymous Coward]

You were trying to defend piracy in general so it is your concern.

While *your* actions I believe are admirable and an allowance example of piracy. You are in the minority.

Re:review copy

[spire3661]

I refuse to be saddled with morals regarding video games while the publishers are doing their very best to strip me of the right of first sale.

Re:review copy

[Anonymous Coward]

*hops on xbox live*

hmmm... no demo. where do you get one?

oh.... you mean wait for several months after release for a demo to come out. fuck that

Re:review copy

[Drakin020]

Reviews do not do justice.

Perfect example was Dirt, a new racing game. I was stoaked when the game came out looking forward to it, but when I downlodaed and played it...It just didn't grab me like I thought it would. 50 bucks saved.

Re:review copy

[Drakin020]

Not every game has a Demo.

Re:review copy

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, and reviews are always 100% accurate.

Re:review copy

[Anonymous Coward]

Whatever you need to tell yourself to justify your unethical behaviour...

Re:review copy

[stpk4]

So...someone could take advantage of you, and violate all your rights and you would not be concerned? careful with your blanket comments there

Re:review copy

[edschurr]

If he downloads more than he uploads, then is the swarm better off for him being there? My guess is no, as long as he's uploading at a lower rate than the average leecher who is getting the same download rate.

Re:review copy

[rtechie]

I'd also point out that you're typically not allowed to return video games after purchase. If you buy it and you're unhappy, you're SOL. Some retailers (Gamestop) will refuse to return games that are defective. I found this out with Lost Odyssey, where the 3rd disk on every single copy in the store was scratched. It took legal threats for them to give me a store credit.

It's crap like this that drives people into piracy.

Re:review copy

[Robyrt]

That hasn't been my experience at all. Since we're talking about the Xbox 360 version here, Costco will just refund your money with no questions asked. I've returned a non-functional game or two to Gamestop myself, and they were happy to give me store credit. PC games are a different story.

Re:review copy

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, try to contact the manufacturer for that kind of situation.

I bought Gunman Chronicles (go head, laugh) way back when. It was totally broken, no updates available on the website. It was a new copy marked down to like $10, but I went ahead and sent a letter to Sierra about it. Got a check a few weeks later in the mail.

Re:review copy

[brkello]

Way to over simplify. The people creating the games are just trying to create the game and earn a living. Other people (like distributors) jump in and do things that can mess with your rights. But that is only on some games, not all. Your over-generalization is just a convenient excuse for you to continue to act illegally. Two wrongs don't make a right...and if we all had morals to begin with then we wouldn't be in the mess we are in now. You are part of the problem.

Re:review copy

[rtechie]

Why should PC games be different? The disc is SCRATCHED. It's not like you're pirating the game and then returning it. Even if you are, then I guess it sucks to be the retailer because there is no way to follow the LAW (which in many states, including mine, requires retailers to have a 30-day "no questions asked" return policy on everything) and have such a policy.

And as you pointed out, other retailers like Costco (Target, etc.) somehow manage to have a LEGAL return policy. It's just Gamestop that tries to screw their patrons.

Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Anonymous Coward]

The game is a fiasco. The only reason it is not getting laughed at by the gaming press is because so many people desperately wanted Fallout 3 to be a true and worthy sequel to the previous games.

And if that wasn't bad enough the game has been gimped down to run on the outdated Xbox 360 7 gig DVDs and weak graphics hardware.

Fucking Microsoft is letting PC gaming die with this Xbox fiasco. The whole point of consoles is to combat piracy and here the piece of shit Xbox is the system getting pirated while ruining the game for PC users.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[RogueyWon]

In fairness, the number of people who actually download and run the Xbox 360 leak will be tiny compared to what the effect would have been with a PC-version leak. Getting pirated games running on a 360 involves the kind of hardware modification that is beyond the level of the average user and, in any event, makes the machine unusable on Xbox Live.

The impact of this leak will be fairly tiny in terms of lost sales. Plot spoilers etc are going to be more of a concern.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Anonymous Coward]

Getting pirated games running on a 360 involves the kind of hardware modification that is beyond the level of the average user and, in any event, makes the machine unusable on Xbox Live

The Xbox Live part was true for the Xbox, but not the 360.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Anonymous Coward]

Getting pirated games running on a 360 involves the kind of hardware modification that is beyond the level of the average user and, in any event, makes the machine unusable on Xbox Live

The Xbox Live part was true for the Xbox, but not the 360.

Yeah, modding a 360 to play pirated games is absolute cake and involves virtually zero risk to the hardware or your Live account. I'd bet that a lot of people knuckle down and mod their systems just to play this release.

I personally save quite a bit of money on my gaming habit as a result of modding my 360; I no longer buy or rent games to try them, I just download and burn. At $2 or so per DL DVD+R, it's a no-brainer.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Anonymous Coward]

It is neither hard to flash the dvd drive (well, until the latest lite-on drives), neither it makes the machine unusable on Xbox Live.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Anonymous Coward]

Not true.

I have a modded 360 and I have a copy of fallout.

Since I've started playing fallout I haven't connected to live because they do search people's accounts to if they played the game (achievements and such.) Before fallout, I've played copies of guitar hero and halo 3 online. (I do own the retail copies of these games.)

Usually this isn't a problem but since it was released weeks early, hiding is the best course of action.

Btw, the game is complete. Achievements, endings, story lines... I don't see anything that's missing.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[geminidomino]

Yeah, modding a 360 to play pirated games is absolute cake and involves virtually zero risk to the hardware or your Live account. I'd bet that a lot of people knuckle down and mod their systems just to play this release.

Can you do it without cracking it open and voiding the warranty? My biggest fear on it is the damn thing red-ringing on me and not getting my warranty coverage.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[rtechie]

No, you have to open the case. There are add-ons like the Xeno Top Gear that insure you only have to open the case once, but open it you must to flash the firmware on the 360.

Contrary to what you're being told, Microsoft DOES ban consoles with modded firmware on Xbox LIVE. Not all consoles all of the time (certain older consoles are unblockable). However, my understanding is they'll kill your Xbox Live Gold account (cancel it with no refund), so you'll want to keep the modded hardware off XBOX Live. This means, as a practical measure, many people will need 2 360s and if you want to play games online, you're probably going to have to buy them.

BTW, The are reasons for banning other than piracy. Some people use firmware hacks to cheat in online games, notably Halo 3.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Anonymous Coward]

Getting pirated games running on a 360 involves the kind of hardware modification that is beyond the level of the average user and, in any event, makes the machine unusable on Xbox Live.

False.
A) Flashing the DVD drive on most older Xbox 360s involves nothing more than plugging the drive into the computer. It is beyond the level of the average user, but not beyond the average user's geeky friend who they can convince to do things.
B) Flashed 360s are totally usable on Xbox Live. I think maybe you're thinking of the original Xbox, which indeed had no easy, publicly available way to play burnt games on Live until recently (when what amounts to a backport of the 360 drive hack was released).
There was a period when Microsoft tried to detect flashed firmware and ban it on Live, but it was easily circumvented by new firmwares and resulted in a lot of false positives / bannings, so they've laid off.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Vegeta99]

And not 100% true for the XBox either, I can disable my chip, load the retail BIOS, and use the retail Dashboard.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Anonymous Coward]

There is absolutely no evidence to prove that people who have flashed their drives on their xbox with the latest firmware will recieve a live ban. Hence why no firmware update for almost a year now. Flashed drives can only play exact replica games not ones moded for cheats. if the allowed modded games it would be like your console screeming out for a ban. So you can't cheat with them. Chips on the other hand would be diffrent. But why chip? Only losers would really be that bothered about cheating online, a flashed drive is free to do an causes no side effects except a possible ban which hasn't happened to many people touch wood (on the new firmware). And even if it did you did get a ban just buy a new xbox with the money you saved to play online ones and keep the old to play the others. Buy the games you love and try the games you don't. I love fallout, but waiting was killing me, i'll buy my copy soon.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[geminidomino]

Meh. I got a gold account when my brothers gave me the 360 last Xmas to play CoD4 with them. That got old inside of a month so since then I've only used it twice (to get the 2-player-only achievements in Lego Starwars) with one more coming up (the same in Lego batman). I don't buy games on live since I've heard too many horror stories about red-ring + DRM == unplayable, so yeah. BFD.

Unfortunately, I suck at soldering.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Anonymous Coward]

Ummm.. No it doesn't (unusable live).. I've had system modded for years and play on live just about every day. There was ONE time boxes got banned, two years ago. since then, flawless.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[Anonymous Coward]

Even though the machine is unusable on Xbox Live, it makes much more financial sense to purchase a second Xbox 360 specifically for downloaded games, and use the first 360 for Xbox Live games. Pirating five games that you would have otherwise purchased pays for the second 360 and the mod (Xbox 360 Arcade is $199, Xecuter Blaster 360 NE is $50; five games are $300).

After the initial setup, pirating on the 360 becomes easier than pirating on the PC--download the ISO, burn it, play it. No cracks or DRM-evasion required.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[rtechie]

No soldering is required.

"Modding" the 360 involves removing, or partially removing, the DVD-ROM drive and flashing the firmware on the DVD-ROM drive using a Windows PC (I do not know if there are Linux or MacOS tools available).

You CAN buy mod chips that DO require soldering. Most of these work by effectively putting new DVD-ROM drive firmware "inline". This has a couple advantages:

1) Different 360s have different DVD-ROM drives and some are more "hacker-friendly" than others. Using a chip will allow you to bypass these restrictions.

2) Most of the chips have a USB port that will allow you to flash the firmware on the chip, which is more convenient.

3) Most importantly, using a chip allows you to TURN OFF the hacked firmware. This is very handy if you want to go on XBOX Live.

You're definitely better off with the chip, but it's not required.

Re:Gimped For The Xbox 360

[rtechie]

There is absolutely no evidence to prove that people who have flashed their drives on their xbox with the latest firmware will recieve a live ban. Hence why no firmware update for almost a year now.

But XBOX Live updates HAVE blocked users with modded firmware in the past. It's just a fact. There haven't been many XBOX Live updates for the past year due to all the effort put in to the new XBOX Live Experience (with avatars and other crap) due out in November. That update will possibly affect current modders and if not, there is noting to prevent Microsoft from pushing out new updates. We certainly can't say that Microsoft has "given up" on

Flashed drives can only play exact replica games not ones moded for cheats.

This is simply wrong. Flashing drives breaks the "locking" that requires you to have an exact boot image. You can boot altered game images for this reason. I've seen modded copies of Halo 3 with different menu screens, so I have to believe you can make other changes. Though, as you pointed out, chipping defeats even the limited anti-cheat measures.

But why chip? Only losers would really be that bothered about cheating online, a flashed drive is free

I'm not recommending cheating in online games, I'm just saying that it's possible. And to be blunt, I'm virtually certain many of the players on the Halo 3 leaderboards are cheating with a combination of mod chips and XFPS keyboard/mouse adapters.

And I point out in my other posts, there are good reasons to go with a chip. A chip is a lot cheaper than a new console if yours gets banned.

But what DRM is it shipping with?

[Anonymous Coward]

Is there any news on what DRM it's shipping with, if any? (now that's an optimistic point of view)

Re:But what DRM is it shipping with?

[Anonymous Coward]

I do hear it is minimal to none (no rootkit, IIRC) - similar to the other PC games Bethesda has produced

Re:But what DRM is it shipping with?

[Cythrawl]

Same as Oblivion a CD check and that's pretty much it

STOP RIGHT THERE

[Anonymous Coward]

RADIOACTIVE SCUM

seriously I hope this is more than some extensive Oblivion mods. Loved me some fallout tactics.

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[meringuoid]

seriously I hope this is more than some extensive Oblivion mods. Loved me some fallout tactics.

Either this is the greatest troll of all time, or you really missed out. Go and play Fallout. Then play Fallout 2. You'll realise why the rest of us pretty much gave Tactics a miss.

Now, I give it ten minutes before some old bugger with a three-digit ID comes along and tells me to play Wasteland.

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[JASegler]

Will a four digit ID do?

I played Wasteland on a C64.
I can remember swapping disks around to get a full inventory to the shop in Las Vegas..

And killing that massive bot at the intersection.. What was it some sort of Scorpion bot?

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[svendsen]

I remember that damn scorpion bot...took like 10 LAW rockets and lots of full burning of clips to bring it down.... I played it on the C64 too...great game..

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[Botched]

Scorpion tank :) It had good loot, law rockets. Best game ever.

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[mahdi13]

Wasteland was an excellent game in its 16 color 1988 glory. 20 years is a long time. I'm sure most people these days wouldn't be able to handle it very well as it's pretty much a text adventure with a map and some repetitive pictures.

F1 and F2 were great games and I enjoyed Tactics, it was different but it was still Fallout...turning off real-time combat made it playable.

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[mahdi13]

I first played it on the C64 also, and burned the floppy drive out with it from swapping the disks so much. Insert disk 2, insert disk 1, insert disk 3 insert disk 1...but the Citadel was TONS of fun despite the swapping =)

The Scorpion thing...that was best to split your team up so they all didn't get taken out all at once. Medic skills came in super handy at that time. So many great story bits in that game...

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[orielbean]

Yeah Wasteland did not age well. Tried it again about 2 months ago. Ack.

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[funkboy]

Wasteland was pretty cool. My cousin had it on his Tandy 1000; never ran it on mine 'cause I was too busy playing Operation Overkill ][ on BBSs.

Now that was a great post-nuclear game. In a lot of ways, it gave me even more appreciation for the first two fallout games.

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[Aladrin]

No 3-dig ID, but the fact that Fallout wasn't Wasteland 2 stopped me from playing it then. I was pretty pissed at the time. Now, I try to go back and see what the fuss is and the interface is horrid. -sigh- I've been spoiled by good interfaces and it really bugs me. I did recently purchased the 3-game set, but that UI hurdle is still stopping me.

I've heard the interface on 2 is better, but I'd really rather play 1 first.

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[Anonymous Coward]

unfortunately i believe he's being sincere; i have an acquaintance who loved tactics but couldn't stand fo2 ("too much reading")

the videos i've seen about fo3 don't give me any fo3 feeling; or, rather, gives me the same vibes as tactics.

unfortunate.

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[Anonymous Coward]

You're thinking of the Scorpitron, named after Scorpia, a pioneer of computer game reviews, especially of the adventure and RPG variety.

Re:STOP RIGHT THERE

[Geekbot]

Man I loved that Operation Overkill game. I found some telnet BBS's a couple of years back that were running it and it was still a lot of fun. That game was so active during the glory days though. Now you've done it. I'm going to have to go google up some telnet BBS's and get hooked again. You monster.

Do we know the fscking system requirements yet?

[Ortega-Starfire]

See subject line.

Re:Do we know the fscking system requirements yet?

[EchaniDrgn]

From TFS:

They provided the systems specs for the PC release as well.

Nope, I guess not.

Re:Do we know the fscking system requirements yet?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's in the article.

Re:Do we know the fscking system requirements yet?

[Anonymous Coward]

An Xbox 360 or a Playstation 3. :)

Re:Do we know the fscking system requirements yet?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seeing that it has to "run" on consoles it should be rather reasonable. Isn't it the same engine as Oblivion?

Re:Do we know the fscking system requirements yet?

[Ortega-Starfire]

That's what I get for not RTFA.

Re:Do we know the fscking system requirements yet?

[praxis]

It all depends on how you compile it. Once you get it to run on your platform of choice, no file system is actually required to see usage information. The recommended system requirements would be to have a file systems supported by fsck to get maximum use out of fsck.

Re:Do we know the fscking system requirements yet?

[Ortega-Starfire]

... Damn you.

Re:Do we know the fscking system requirements yet?

[Reigo Reinmets]

I don't really understand why you're modded insightful, but it sure as hell made me laugh :)

PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft is letting PC gaming die with more and more long time PC developers either giving up on or starting to migrate away from PC exclusive titles.

Fallout 3 from all the previews looks obviously dumbed down because of having to run on the 360. But the real nightmare scenario for PC gamer is Diablo 3 which Blizzard is confirming is being designed, and obviously dumbed down and downgraded, to run on the 360.

I don't know what the hell Microsoft is thinking wasting time on the 360 mess. The system is considered the worst console ever made and it is selling just as poorly worldwide as the first Xbox disaster.

Wake the fuck up Microsoft and dump this Xbox shit and put your efforts into reviving the PC gaming market.

Re:PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[Cythrawl]

Ummm.. Diablo 3 dumbed down???

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Diablo games aren't/were'nt that complicated in the first place! You could play Diablo 1 and 2 with one hand on the mouse. Really when you look at it Diablo is really just a Gauntlet clone with good storytelling. There's never been ANYTHING complicated about Diablo.. Which in my opinion is what makes it great!.. No need to think about anything, just click and play.

Re:PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[Anonymous Coward]

You obviously never played Diablo 2 on Hell after Blizzard released the final patch.

Doable? Yes.
Easy or simple? Absolutely not.

The game actually had some decent depth - it's just it didn't become apparent until long after most people stopped playing.

Re:PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[Cythrawl]

You never said easy.. you said "Dumbed down for the consoles". There are MANY console games that are also far from easy. My point is its not being dumbed down for consoles. Its the same damn gameplay elements that are in all the other Diablo's.. And for the record I have finished all the Diablo games. Please try to put some filler in your discussion other than " you obviously havent played it".
Diablo isn't that complicated of a concept to begin with. As I said in my previous post its really like a evolution on the original Gauntlet with a beginning and an end and great visuals and a great story. Theres NOTHING to dumb down in the first place. Get over it.

Re:PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[yyr]

I don't know what the hell Microsoft is thinking wasting time on the 360 mess. The system is considered the worst console ever made and it is selling just as poorly worldwide as the first Xbox disaster.

Wake the fuck up Microsoft and dump this Xbox shit and put your efforts into reviving the PC gaming market.

The system is considered the worst console ever made? By who? You?

The opinion of one idiot does not measure up to the fact that around 20 million Xbox 360s have been sold worldwide so far. In North America, the PS3 lags far behind in both sales and game selection.

The 360 is way more profitable than PC gaming will be from now on. MS stands to make money off software and accessory sales to 20 million customers. Do 20 million people upgrade their video cards so that their PCs are able to run any modern games?

Microsoft is wide awake; you are fast asleep.

Re:PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[dougmc]

You can play chess with one hand on the mouse (or occasionally used to move pieces on the board, if you wanted) and the other hand down your pants. Is chess dumbed down too?

More computer game-ish, NWN and NWN2 played just fine using only the mouse if I recall correctly. Needing only the mouse doesn't mean it's dumbed down (though NWN2 and especially NWN1 was somewhat dumbed down from the traditional non-computer D&D ...)

My problem with Diablo II is that it made my clicking finger ache. :)

Re:PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[lgw]

Diablo was a Nethack clone (or at least a rogue-alike), not a Gauntlet clone. This was more obvious in the frst Diablo where everything moved at the same speed. D1 was turn-based in early development, really just Nethack with graphics, but at some point the devs saw the light. (Then the devs went on to found Flagship Studios and become the laughing stock of the industry, but that's a different story.)

Re:PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[Anonymous Coward]

Profitable? They lost billions. But MS can afford that and go damping on competition.

Though they were outsold by Wii while PS3 is apparently catching up (14M sold PS3's). Why? Because the quality is crap. X360 consoles are faulty by design and often die with the glorious RRoD. MS still sold a lot of them, but due to marketing downplay of a serious problem (around 16% faulty of all shipped consoles!).

Recently however it got attention of the press and it might affect future sales of 360 systems. MS immediately lowered prices to counter that.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RRoD#General_hardware_failure

Re:PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[vishbar]

You can play chess with one hand on the mouse (or occasionally used to move pieces on the board, if you wanted) and the other hand down your pants.

You must REALLY like chess...

And I thought I enjoyed intellectual pursuits.

Re:PC Users Need To Make Themselves Heard

[geekoid]

Hey, Porn Chess..GENIUS!

Piracy is killing PC gaming!

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh wait.

And I want the ..

[roguegramma]

And I want the linux version leaked ..

24/7 - Xbox 360 - LOL! Joking Right...?

[Anonymous Coward]

Who the hell would be dumb enough to try to play a lengthy game like Fallout 3 on the worst and most unreliable gaming hardware ever created in the Xbox 360?

Re:24/7 - Xbox 360 - LOL! Joking Right...?

[Kagura]

It must be really cramped in there to be creating gaming hardware inside of an Xbox 360. ;)

Aaahh... Innocence...

[denzacar]

Aaahh... Innocence...

Rhymes well with ignorance and nonsense.

 

With incense too, but that is from another song.

Re:Aaahh... Innocence...

[Anonymous Coward]

Ignorance doesn't rhyme with innocence. Unless you're a rapper. Representin' grammar.

Re:Aaahh... Innocence...

[Anonymous Coward]

What?

supply chain

[Anonymous Coward]

From what I understand of xbox discs being pressed, the master data is encrypted and sent somewhere. Those people press the discs and ship them back for distribution. This is true of the test-discs sent to willows road and elsewhere, which would include a gold version having compat-tests run on all the different hardware revisions. Posting anonymously because I'm a coward. My NDA expired a year or so ago.

Yuck

[Anonymous Coward]

I viewed several of the walkthroughs. I thought the bloody heads coming off was vile.

So this game gives us:
1. A blasted ugly world to walk around in.
2. Lots of people cursing f* this, f* that.
3. Slo-mo blood.
4. Nice happy music.

I'll pass.

Posting AC because slashdot moderation stinks.

Re:Yuck

[Kagura]

Please don't say the abbreviation f*, as we all know what it really means. I find your post vile.

Typical release date pattern

[Anonymous Coward]

October 28 in North America, October 30 in Europe and Australia, and on October 31 in the U.K.

Another game, another "fuck you" to the UK. I can understand the US getting it first because that's where the devs/publishers are located, and other regions need localisation etc. etc. but how the fuck does all of continental Europe and their two dozen languages somehow come before Britain? Motherfuckers.

Re:Typical release date pattern

[Anonymous Coward]

I understand your point to a *degree* (esp. with other releases, historically). However, for this *particular* game... FUCK - IT IS ONLY TWO DAYS!!

Re:Typical release date pattern

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah it's less time to wait, but in another way that's almost more frustrating. If there's a long delay you can put it down to localisation, production times, etc., but with only a single day between each region that's clearly not the case - it's like they're deliberately doing it to rub our noses in it that we come last.

Re:Typical release date pattern

[mcvos]

Yeah it's less time to wait, but in another way that's almost more frustrating. If there's a long delay you can put it down to localisation, production times, etc., but with only a single day between each region that's clearly not the case - it's like they're deliberately doing it to rub our noses in it that we come last.

No, it's more like it's simply a distribution issue.

Re:Typical release date pattern

[Salamande]

This is nothing. Talk to the UK and Australian Rock Band fans if you really want to see "fuck you".

Pirating on the 360 is actually easier than PC

[Werthless5]

I disagree. Once you've made the single hardware modification, you never need to jump through that hoop ever again. Also, the people who sell the hardware to you provide enough instructions so that even a 10 year-old who has played with legos can successfully mod their xbox. Anyone who knows how to torrent a game is going to have the mental capacity to successfully modify their xbox.

PC games, on the other hand, require a different software patch depending on the copy protection scheme that you need to get around. This can be something simple like copy-pasting a crack, or you may have to install other software packages. And this needs to be done for EVERY game.

Pirating an xbox game is just as easy as pirating a PC game the first time. After that, pirating an xbox game is MUCH EASIER than pirating PC games. The people who think otherwise have never actually tried both.

Heroes or assmunches?

[Dachannien]

Bethesda was good enough to include only a CD check with Oblivion. No StarForce, no SecuROM, none of that install-three-times-and-then-you're-screwed. Their reward, apparently, is that some assmunches rip off their new game three weeks before the release date.

Since they ripped off the Xbox360 version, though, I guess there's at least a tiny "fuck you" to Microsoft's DRM involved in this one.

How's it compare to Oblivion?

[jollyreaper]

I found the environment in Oblivion to be a modern miracle to behold, absolutely gorgeous and stunning. The leveling system I found to be frustrating to the point of near unplayability, very much harming the enjoyment of the game. I also found the storyline to be underwhelming. But wow, those environments! I could wander around for hours just soaking it in.

How's Fallout stack up?

Re:How's it compare to Oblivion?

[Carbon016]

It's the same thing. With guns.

Re:How's it compare to Oblivion?

[VampBoy]

You must be from "No Mutants Allowed" or "Duck and Cover." I've heard the "Oblivion with guns" quote way too much from those sites. Granted I don't frequent them as much to keep abreast of the news.

Sadly that quote may be true...WTF is up with the "Teddy Bear" gun they've shown in the previews? That's got to be the dumbest idea. Loading up with spikes I can see, but "Teddy Bears"...why don't they add in rainbows and ponies.

Re:How's it compare to Oblivion?

[Anonymous Coward]

omg ponies!

Re:How's it compare to Oblivion?

[meringuoid]

WTF is up with the "Teddy Bear" gun they've shown in the previews? That's got to be the dumbest idea. Loading up with spikes I can see, but "Teddy Bears"...why don't they add in rainbows and ponies.

Next thing you know they'll make a kid's BB gun the most powerful weapon in the game.

Re:How's it compare to Oblivion?

[VampBoy]

Next thing you know they'll make a kid's BB gun the most powerful weapon in the game.

Ah yes, the Red Ryder LE BB Gun. http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Ryder_LE_BB_Gun

I'd hope they've got a dog gun that shoots bees when it barks.

Re:How's it compare to Oblivion?

[Carbon016]

I'm not from anything. It's literally Oblivion with guns. And a combat system that gives you a 2% percentage to hit if you're more than two inches from your target.

I don't know what flabby crevice you got that from

[Anonymous Coward]

Getting pirated games on a 360 involves:

1) Opening the 360.
2) Taking the DVD drive out.
3) Connecting the DVD drive to your PC.
4) Turning on your PC.
5) Running a program on your PC.
6) Turning your PC off.
7) Putting the 360 back together.

That's a "hardware modification"?

Don't Cry Assclown

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't cry assclown. No one is going to take your precious RRoD box away from you.

Re:Don't Cry Assclown

[Cythrawl]

"Assclown" - Funny, maybe you should look in the mirror.. You are doing such a good job of making an "Assclown" of yourself...

Re:Don't Cry Assclown

[Anonymous Coward]

Just FYI, the Xbox 360 is currently outselling the PS3 2:1.

In Japan.

Remember, the last market where the PS3 was winning?

At the Tokyo Game Show, almost all the big news involved the Xbox 360. Almost all the developers were showing off XBox 360 titles. (Before anyone asks, Nintendo wasn't there, which is why developers moved onto the second-biggest thing: the Xbox 360.)

The PS3 is being outsold by the PSP of all things!

Almost all the big exclusives are Xbox 360 exclusives. Japanese developers have stated massive preference for the Xbox 360 over the PS3. (Although not necessarily the Wii.)

So, uh, yeah. Keep trying to pretend that the PS3 is relevant. And remember that at least the Xbox 360 bricks due to hardware failure, while the PS3 bricks thanks to crappy uploads. They fix the firmware that prevents games from being played off Blu-ray yet?

Re:Don't Cry Assclown

[Anonymous Coward]

"Just FYI, the Xbox 360 is currently outselling the PS3 2:1.

In Japan."

Oh god! What a total fucking idiot!

Re:Don't Cry Assclown

[Anonymous Coward]

If you think 2:1 in Japan is bad for Sony, just wait to you see the US sales figures.

Thanks to the terrible US economy, people can't afford to pay for the PS3 any more. But since the Xbox 360 now costs less than the Wii, people are able to get it without having to go into debt.

I'm carrying around enough for a new Xbox 360 is cash right now! I'd be insane to do that for a PS3.

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[CroDragn]

Yes, it is, and that's why I will never be doing it for any consoles I own. It's all down to step 1) Opening the 360. Doing so voids all warrantees on the system, so if the system breaks down later for whatever reason, even unrelated to the mod, you'll still get a nice big bugger off from the company. When it comes to hardware, this is a big deal for me, and even more so to the population at large. PC pirating, even though more complex, does not suffer from this type of problem, which is a large part of why is it so much more popular.

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[Cythrawl]

Ok "Assclown" here we go..

1) Opening the X360
2) Taking the DVD Drive out
3) Connect the DVD Drive to a SATA connection on your PC after finding what MFG the drive is
4) FLASH NEW FIRMWARE to Said DVD Drive (That would be a HARDWARE MODIFCATION ASSHAT)
5) Put the Drive back in the X360 after the flash is complete

Yes that IS a "hardware Modification" as you are updating the FIRMWARE with a hacked one.

Now please piss off and die

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[Cythrawl]

Actually yes it does.. If you are running the pirated version of Vista properly you need to hack your system BIOS. Its no different and people can and WILL do it regardless.

Same as people can and WILL Lap their CPU's and such like...

The argument is baseless and most individuals, will do it regardless of any such warranties!!

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[supertusse]

Soldering some wires, attaching a modchip, those kinds of mods would be hardware mods. Updating firmware, however, that's a software modification. Feel free to put that asshat back on.

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[Cythrawl]

Actually you are modifying the hardware with hacked Firmware.. No matter how you look at it you are modifying the hardware to do what it should not. Now if you was putting a loader on the Xbox then yes that would be a software workaround..

Asshat is now handed back at you.

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[Mister Whirly]

Think of it this way - if you don't buy 4 $60 games because you can borrow/rent them and burn them onto a $2 DL DVD, you can buy a brand new Xbox when you get the red ring of death. Simple economics.

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[Jherek Carnelian]

Firmware is just software stored in flash memory. It is not generally considered a hardware mod to upgrade a cell phone or a dvd player or an ipod. Supertusse's definition is the common usage, your definition is not.

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[khellendros1984]

A firmware is a piece of software, which runs on hardware. This is similar to how the OS runs using hardware. This is still a modification of software, but at a lower level than most software mods are applied. *Refrains from throwing around insults*

More on the whole console vs. desktop thing

[Threemoons]

*speaks up in tiny voice*

Erm, as someone lucky enough to have a Wii, a PS3, and a gaming rig, I find myself wanting to play more of the shooter-type stuff on the PS3 rather than on my PC. Why?

--bigger screen to play on
--controls are easier (no keymapping shit by hand)
--Smoother performance (even with a gaming rig, for stuff just runs smoother on a dedicated machine).
--

I'm currently waiting for Bioshock for the PS3 to come out, and may do Dead Space also. Mind you, I also still love my PC for more complex gaming (Conan and Hellgate London, may join the WoW cult also)(yeah yeah yeah whatever).

So, I don't think it's a matter of killing PC gaming via the Xbox or whatever; I think that you'll just see a more natural progression of more complex games staying on the PC and anything that CAN be reduced to a controller pad WILL be and will be big on the consoles.

Re:More on the whole console vs. desktop thing

[pant]

*replying in a slightly larger voice*

I have a gaming PC and a PS3. My 37" HDTV makes for a fine monitor for both. Key mapping takes about five minutes to do, it takes just as long to get used to in a new game as presets, and my PC has a usable mouse/keyboard function in almost every game. Those things make a good shooter game for me. Being forced to play all thumbs does not make a good shooter game for me. I'd love it if Sony came out with a true dual joystick like they had for the PS1. And don't get me wrong, I love my PS3, but I will never likely by a shooter game for it merely because of control limitations. I can say I can't argue much with the smooth factor though.

Mouse and keyboard could be on consoles though. I don't think its happened much not because there is a lack of demand for it, but because many console players don't want others to have it.

Re:More on the whole console vs. desktop thing

[mjwx]

*Speaks with voice of Authority"

I find myself playing FPS games on PC for these reasons:
- Better control scheme, no control pad can compare to the mouse for aiming.
- Too much autoaim (aimbots) on consoles (mainly due to lack of an accurate and truly multi directional pointing device).
- Control scheme has to be limited to a set number of buttons.
- Only half of the aforementioned buttons are accessible at once (far less than the average PC optical mouse (3 button) and Keyboard).
- No scroll wheel.
- Cannot change the graphics settings to make the game faster or more detailed.

And here is why the PC is superior in general:
- Any TV that a PS3 can connect to my PC can connect to but not the other way around(personally prefer 22" monitors due to the distance involved and PC monitors generally have better resolution options).
- More customisable, user generated content, add-on packs ETC...
- Easy to move save games and other user generated content.
- Download platforms like Impulse (Stardock) and Steam allow me to move fully patch games without needing to re-download patches.
- The most common hardware issues can be fixed within an hour, this includes going to the store to buy parts (how long does it take MS to fix an RROD xbox on average?).

I've played FPS and strategy games on the PS2, PS3, Xbox and Xbox360. If an FPS cant win me over in 20 minutes its not going to be worth playing at all, I have this rule on PC as well as consoles and consoles tend to fail it at least 90% of the time, mostly due to technical reasons I almost always find the controls frustrating, and analogue sticks limited in their movements. Halo was one of the few console FPS's that could (same with GRAW) but they both inferior to the control system on the PC. Don't even get me started on Console strategy games, they can emphatically not be played on consoles (don't drag out C&C3, that was a tank rushing game and not RTS, it could have been designed with two buttons, 1. Build tank, 2. Send tank at enemy). In the defence of consoles, they are well suited to racing, fighting (you Mortal Kombats) and adventure/platformers which benefit from a limited control scheme.

Realistically with the Nintedo Wii (I do own one and love playing it) winning the console war, I can say with some certainty that this will be the last console generation that will fight for the "Hardcore" market as the "casual" market is far more profitable for console makers. I wouldn't put it past Sony to try and keep the hardcore audience with the PS4 (which will sell even less than the PS3) but Microsoft will re-design the next Xbox to be geared towards the casual market. Hardcore games will head back to the PC, where they started and where they belong.

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[rtechie]

Firmware flashing is not "hardware modification". It simply IS NOT. Flashing firmware is rewriting the SOFTWARE stored in flash memory. The original poster was concerned about opening the case on his 360 because doing so would void the warranty. He wanted a solution to play backups on the 360 without opening the case (this currently does not exist). Simply opening the case of a 360 IS NOT hardware modification, and that's all we're talking about here.

Another Shooter.....

[Danathar]

Bleh...another shooter. Talk about UN-original.

Really, I like shooters but it's starting to get redundant. Where is the creativity (other than the creativity of the art in the games)?

Re:Another Shooter.....

[Kratisto]

What exactly are you looking for, as far as creativity goes? Fallout 3, if it is anything like Oblivion, will be a somewhat different experience from what FPS players are accustomed. Calling it "another" shooter seems a little unjust. But to be more general, there are only so many genres you can have for a game. Shooters, RTS, TBS, RPG, Adventure, Platformer, Puzzle. The things that need to be improved upon aren't as blatantly obvious as they were ten years ago. We've moved from an era of improving the technical standpoint, like graphics and AI, to actually employing them to create an immersive and moving form of media. Most of all, games have to be fun. If it ain't broke...

Re:Another Shooter.....

[mcvos]

What exactly are you looking for, as far as creativity goes? Fallout 3, if it is anything like Oblivion, will be a somewhat different experience from what FPS players are accustomed. Calling it "another" shooter seems a little unjust.

One major difference with shooters should be that it's a CRPG, not a shooter, but fans are a bit worried about this one. Another difference is that there's a limited option to pause the game during firefights, but if it's too limited, the game might still end up too shootery.

The things that need to be improved upon aren't as blatantly obvious as they were ten years ago. We've moved from an era of improving the technical standpoint, like graphics and AI, to actually employing them to create an immersive and moving form of media.

I think we've moved from an era of storytelling and fun games to one of showcasing graphics.

No demo coming ever

[bogie]

They give some BS reason about not being able to give the "full experience" of Fallout 3 in a demo because they would have to ship the entire game. Ummm, sure whatever. You can always tell when they're lying and frankly it's insulting.

Anyway they've been whining about piracy but all this will do it make sure that everyone goes out to piratebay and downloads it for free. In this economy people don't want to pay $50-$60 to try out a game and a) hope their system runs it well and b) hope they like it. But hey, what do I know.

This is some hillariously retarded spin here.

[Anonymous Coward]

Altering the data in the flash memory on the DVD-ROM drive in a 360 is a "hardware modification", but altering the data in the flash memory on the motherboard in a 360 is a "software workaround"?

What?

I wish I was that good at trolling...

[patio11]

Convincing Slashdot to upmod you for saying "Let's transfer money from video game studios, which we love, to Microsoft, which we hate, because they have hardware problems". Really, there needs to be a meta-meta-mod for subverting anti-capitalism like that. I'd love to see your take on how we should abandon Linux to tie up MS' support lines, spend millions on iTunes to DDOS Apple's DRM servers, and vote straight-ticket Republican to convince everyone the Diebold voting machines must be rigged.

Re:I wish I was that good at trolling...

[Mister Whirly]

So how easy economics work when you separate it from politics?
And for the record, I would like to put Linux on the Diebold voting machines, and also have the voting machine connected to iTunes so I can listen to smug indie bands while voting. Satisfied?

Re:I wish I was that good at trolling...

[mcvos]

Convincing Slashdot to upmod you for saying "Let's transfer money from video game studios, which we love, to Microsoft, which we hate, because they have hardware problems".

This may have been modded Troll, but this bit is actually quite insightful. If you like the game, it's a lot smarter to pay for the game than for extra hardware.

Jet!

[Anonymous Coward]

Jet Futhamucka! Jet!

Oblivion was NOT good

[Zalminen]

I've played both Fallout 2 and Oblivion and I sincerely hope Fallout 3 will be nothing like Oblivion.

The autoscaling of everything was pretty much the worst thing in O3.
It meant that you could go and beat the Big Bad Guy with a total wimp. It meant that if chose your skills wrong, you'd get slaughtered just by traveling along the main road when you were on a high enough level.
I meant that there was almost no point in exploring. You could search the most remote ruins and only find broken knives if you were on low level and once you had enough levels under your belt, every damn critter dropped stuff worth a fortune.

Lots of side quests? Sure. Your choices make a difference? Oh really...
Sure you could choose if you wanted to join the mage guild or the fighter guild or thief's guild or save the world or just do all of these. None of it mattered except within that quest. Sure you just saved the world, became the top fighter on arena and became the leader of the mage's guild - but when you decide to join the fighter's guild, no one has even heard of you. Hey, if it had been more like 'Oh, you may think you're the big hero, but in here you're a nobody' I'd have been overjoyed but the harsh reality was that all the quests were totally separate.

And did you have actual choices? What if you wanted to be the good guy and actually arrest the notorious thieves guild leader? Nope, as soon as you joined the thief's guild, even your journal assumed you had become a bad guy. And the only options were to complete the quests as a bad guy or to totally ignore them. I've heard one of the last quests even involved a 'traitor' who was basically trying to get the thief's guild leader arrested - and you could not actually leave the room unless you killed him. Choices indeed...

I don't even want to talk about combat except to say that compared to the highly tactical, engaging battles in Fallout 2, Oblivion was just totally boring.

Now Fallout 3 may turn out to be a good game, but after Oblivion I have serious doubts about it.

Re:Oblivion was NOT good

[Syrrh]

I'm skeptical about Bethesda's competence, but I'm going to buy it anyway.

First of all, they don't do DRM runarounds. That makes me, and my wallet in turn, very happy.

Second, I hope with all their talk of "listening to the community", they understand what went terribly, disgustingly wrong with Oblivion. The severely limited number of voice-actors. The world background and various storylines that fell flat because they were elaborate enough, but boring. The enormous world that gave no incentive to explore. The weird equipment/difficulty curve that encourages players to stay at level 2. So far, the only concern I haven't seen addressed when reading about Fallout 3 is making sure the damn thing doesn't crash and corrupt saves every 5 minutes.

Lastly, the Fallout universe is not very rigid. Its main components are the visual styles and humor elements, and a bit of good/evil decisionmaking that is not crucial but does affect the world. There's very little storyline to adhere to, and all the people and events of previous games are so far away they'll have little impact on this setting.

So... I'll bite. I figure they can't screw it up too badly.

Wn't be needed

[geekoid]

This is Bethesda. Between to extremely long load screen, downloading 3rd party fixes, and wondering why it's so damn slow you will ahve plenty of time to piss..and eat..and sleep..and pretty much go on vacation.
Smart money is on waiting 3 months.

If there was a line of people who released games, and Blizzard was o the extreme right of quality, Bethesda would be on the extreme left.

Unfortuantely this is incorrect

[LrdDimwit]

In theory, this might be true. But in practice, it's bad for business indirectly. Most sales right now are thru traditional retail channels, and those channels will be really pissed off if a publisher were to do this. They would view it as a betrayal, as sabotage. From their perspective, if this is done, they will lose a lot of sales to the online transfers.

Sure, if it was the next Halo, they'd probably suck it up. But their displeasure will manifest itself in other ways that you won't really like -- the next time you want to do a heavy marketing campaign to shore up a mediocre game, for instance, they might block it in their stores. Pissing off your main partners -- the people who move 90% of your units -- is a death wish.

This is changing, as electronic distribution will change everything eventually. But even then, they might move to press-on-demand (they'll have a machine in the back to literally manufacture a copy on demand). The other main reason stores are good? People like to browse. They'll buy other games just because they see them in the store. Electronic distro threatens THAT as well.

Re:I don't know what flabby crevice you got that f

[mrchaotica]

Doing so voids all warrantees on the system, so if the system breaks down later for whatever reason, even unrelated to the mod, you'll still get a nice big bugger off from the company.

Microsoft can't do that. According to the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, the warranty remains in effect unless Microsoft can prove (and the onus is on them, not you) that the modification caused the problem.

Of course, the real issue is that you might not want to reveal the intent of the modification (i.e., copyright infringement).