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Why Bethesda won't listen to the fans photo

With a franchise as devoutly beloved as the Fallout series, Bethesda must have known known it was getting into treacherous, fan-infested waters when it chose to undertake the development duties of Fallout 3. The hardcore fanbase of any product is rabid, largely unhinged, and will jump at the chance to decry anything as a betrayal of their emotional lifeline. These zealots have had their hands full with Fallout 3.

Bethesda has ignored the screams of Fallout fans in the production of a game that resembles an FPS more than an RPG. The roleplaying elements will be there, but it can't be argued that the game is going to be a very different beast from the one that players were expecting. Bethesda, however, has recognized a need to be ruthless and explained exactly why it's not listening to the outraged war cry of a thousand angry gamers. Lead designer Emil Pagliarulo had this to say on the matter:

"That’s always the toughest question. You listen to the fans and respect their ideas, but once you start designing a game that they want to make specifically, then you can get yourself into trouble ... You have to make the game that you’re making and know that it’s a good one and continue with that."
At the end of the day, Bethesda is responsible for a sequel that was always going to make people unhappy, no matter how well made the game may or may not be. It's simply impossible to give everybody exactly what they want and the studio clearly knows this. Sometimes what fans want is what's best for themselves, not the franchise, and sometimes it's just not worth trying to cater to everybody, because once you start attempting to satisfy everyone, you end up pleasing none. Like Emil said, you just have to make what you're making. Let the fans answer with their wallets, and the fallout for Fallout be as it may.

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81 comments | showing # 1 to 50

HarassmentPanda's Avatar
HarassmentPanda at 03/05/2008 08:27
I'm still really excited for this game. Their offices are so damn close to my house that it's hard convincing myself not to just show up and beg to play.
CaffeinePowered's Avatar
CaffeinePowered at 03/05/2008 08:29
That quote makes me very sad, seriously, I hope they enjoy raping one of the greatest RPGs ever made. If it really turns out to be more of an FPS than an RPG and have as crummy dialog and RPG elements as Oblivion I hope the game crashes and burns.
moocow21's Avatar
moocow21 at 03/05/2008 08:30
On one hand I can understand that Bethesda needs to make this game their own, but I can also understand where the Fallout fanboys (never played the first two myself, unfortunately) are coming from - especially after how Oblivion turned out. Don't get me wrong, it was a great game, but oh how it was dumbed down on so many levels compared to Morrowind (aside from graphics and combat)...
Y0j1mb0's Avatar
Y0j1mb0 at 03/05/2008 08:30
This game is going to sell like hotcakes. I doubt Bethesda is worried about incorporating fan input or not.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 03/05/2008 08:37
I completely trust Bethesda to make an amazing Fallout game. I have no idea how they could disappoint the fans.
CaffeinePowered's Avatar
CaffeinePowered at 03/05/2008 08:39
@Holy - Go play Fallout 1, then go play Oblivion, think about the moral choices, characters, and image of humanity the two games paint.

Then come back and try to say the same thing you just said.
Mabec's Avatar
Mabec at 03/05/2008 08:44
I think Holy is being ironic :)
But i do agree with you Powered, B-thesda have much to prove themself...
Harkonnen's Avatar
Harkonnen at 03/05/2008 08:46
Being a fan of the series since the day Fallout hit the shelves, I don't think I'm too worried about the final product. For me, there's nothing I could possibly lose: either I like the game or I don't. If I don't, my life doesn't change for the worse I guess. I have high hopes that they will be able to pull something nice, but have to agree with moocow21 and fear that they might dumb it down too much. Hope that doesn't happen, though.
Tragic Hero's Avatar
Tragic Hero at 03/05/2008 08:49
See? And everyone said I was crazy or "nit picking" in my blog I did about Fallout 3 going to suck. Even if you enjoy Bethesdas first person action/RPG games there is no way their gaming formula fits with the fallout universe.

I mean, why change the isometric view? Titan Quest did just fine with it and I know if they made a Diablo 3 and kept it in isometric everyone would still go apeshit over it. So why ruin Fallout with a first person view?
NukaCola's Avatar
NukaCola at 03/05/2008 08:52
No Mutants Allowed still whines.

Yeah, Oblivion was a huge disappointment (don't get me started on what bothered me about it) but I still have some faith in Fallout 3 and i don't think it's going to be "Oblivion with Guns." There are already a few things about Fallout 3 that have been getting on my nerves, but you know what? Whatever. Bethesda's gonna make a lot of money on this game. At this point I think the rabid fanboys have accepted that this isn't going to be, in their eyes, a true "Fallout" game and that they are now attacking Bethesda simply because they are cashing in and bastardizing their franchise. I'm not saying I believe they are though, that's to be answered when the game comes out.
FiZ's Avatar
FiZ at 03/05/2008 09:02
@Tragic Hero: Sure, you could say Titan Quest did 'just fine' in the sense that a great deal of gamers (I'm not saying you, but a lot of gamers still) thought the game was a vapid Diablo2 clone worth invisting 1 hour of time in before throwing it away.

Part of me is still concerned whether Bethesda will hold true to the original dark style of the game with its twisted sense of humor, but the rational side of me realizes that fanboys are going to be pissed no matter what: If it's too much like the previous Fallouts, rabid fans will say it's a cheap rip-off or a bastardized copy. If it's not enough like the originals, those same fans will pine for the good ol' days. Even if Black Isle was still creating the game, the hounds of fandom would bitch because the game was "too little, too late".

Trying to make a Fallout 3 that will make everyone happy is like trying to debate which Evil Dead movie was best- you'll never get the same reason/justification from anyone.
Milhouse's Avatar
Milhouse at 03/05/2008 09:05
I... trust Bethesda. I keep my fingers crossed! But I'm very optimistic, and I have accepted the fact that Fallout 3 won't be Fallout 1.1 or 2.1.
highrobot's Avatar
highrobot at 03/05/2008 09:13
I'm a serious Fallout fan and although I would have liked for the game to stick to the original perspective, I'm willing to trust them with the new format and not whine about it.

A New different Fallout is better than no Fallout at all.
That is unless it sucks balls.
Tuxy's Avatar
Tuxy at 03/05/2008 09:14
I have never played Fallout, but if it's anything like Oblivion, I'll pass. Sounds like the Fallout series is suffering the same fate Elder Scrolls has, from Morrowind to Oblivion. Sad.
Netrat33's Avatar
Netrat33 at 03/05/2008 09:15
I want to be optimistic, but not listening to the fans who made the game successful in the first place is stupid. But hey, change works right. I mean Brotherhood of Steel for the consoles was such a HUGE hit and well remembered right?
bioshocked's Avatar
bioshocked at 03/05/2008 09:19
As a developer who's working on a licensed product and after two years of reading all the hate and flame bait of so called fans, who cry bloody murder as soon as a new feature they think of as dumbing-down is announced, all I can say to Bethesda is:

Yay! Go, show' em!!

Even if you're working on an existing franchise, it's still your vision of the franchise you're implementing. It's your vision, your creativity, your product. Don't listen to so called fans, listen to your own inner voice and make the best game you want to make, not the best game someone who clearly has too much time on his hand wants.

To hell with player empowerment!
Churchhills Dog's Avatar
Churchhills Dog at 03/05/2008 09:19
What the hardcore fallout fans want is a graphical upgrade, not a new game. Kudos to Bethesda for ignoring their whining
Professor Pew's Avatar
Professor Pew at 03/05/2008 09:22
Fallout is dead, long live the new Fallout!

I can live with an Oblivion with guns and no mobs that level with you though. If I want to see moral choice art on my screen that bad, I'll go watch some Eric Rohmer instead.
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 03/05/2008 09:22
As long as there are mutiple endings.
Tragic Hero's Avatar
Tragic Hero at 03/05/2008 09:24
@Churchills Dog

Really? Thats what hardcore fallout fans want? Most of us who still play fallout 1 and 2 to this day would rather have better, oblivion like graphics instead of keeping the same fallout formula but to tweak it to todays standards?
Tull's Avatar
Tull at 03/05/2008 09:26
A fanboy will not be a fanboy if he/she doesn't complain about something. These fanboys should be glad that a Fallout 3 is even being made. If they wanted Fallout 3 to be as they think it should be then they should learn how to develop a game and do it themselves. But then I'm sure they'd find a way to nitpick and complain about that game as well.
B-Radicate's Avatar
B-Radicate at 03/05/2008 09:29
I've never played a Fallout game before. As such, I think this game looks incredible and I'm glad they're not using an old hackneyed camera angle just to make some old school fans happy.
Tragic Hero's Avatar
Tragic Hero at 03/05/2008 09:32
@Tull

It is hard to say because the game isn't out yet but from what I have heard about it so far I think I would rather not have a Fallout 3. Just like I would rather have just one Deus Ex instead of that shitty Invisible War game they came out with.
CaffeinePowered's Avatar
CaffeinePowered at 03/05/2008 09:48
Deus Ex
Deus Ex 2

Look at the fan ratings, this is what happens when you COMPLETELY ignore the fan base.

I don't mind the camera, I'm sure someone will make an isometric camera mod. I'm more concerned about the RPG elements, dialog trees, and story.

Minigames = fail
FPS play = fail
5 Voice Actors = fail
Scaled enemies = fail

Who knows maybe some ambitious fans will mod everything to make it more like a real fallout esq game, but the point is, they shouldn't have to.

'I saw a pigrat the other day...horrid creatures'
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 03/05/2008 09:51
Emil Pagliarulo is so Goddam right I'd suck his dick. It's what broke UT3. It's what killed SS3. Listening to the hardcore forum users IS a good way to get feedback, but its a terrible fucking way to design a game.
Narishma's Avatar
Narishma at 03/05/2008 10:00
I liked the first two Fallout games and, contrary to most people here it seems, like Oblivion more than Morrowind. So I don't have a problem with Bethesda not doing a clone of the first two.
robotplague's Avatar
robotplague at 03/05/2008 10:04
I absolutely 100% agree with them. At the end of the day fans/consumers are, well, kinda stupid. They are. And you know what else? They DON'T LIKE CHANGE. If every single business listened to their consumers they would never come out with anything new. In order to progress, be innovative and do something new you have to not listen to your consumers and create something you know is awesome. Do you think Apple listens to their consumers with new products? FUCK NO. They've said it multiple times. Do you think the Wii would have been possible if they listened to the average gamer? FUCK NO. It would have just been the 360 with Nintendo games. The idea is to give consumers something they they don't even know they want yet.

It's worth pissing off your small but hardcore audience to attract new users. They're doing things right.
Pangloss's Avatar
Pangloss at 03/05/2008 10:05
@Boolean: I agree. Can you imagine what MMOs would be like if the developer made whatever huge changes there was an outcry in the forums for? It'd be completely broken.
Rucksack's Avatar
Rucksack at 03/05/2008 10:14
Guys, stop being fan zombies. The game hasn't even fucking come out yet.

If you want old school Fallout then go fire-up your old copies! Hell, this could end up being better.
MagicAQ's Avatar
MagicAQ at 03/05/2008 10:25
Something i REALLY want from this game, which it seems they are keen to do is build a world, and what i remember them saying was that Oblivion was too big, and so no one walked.... they just "fast travelled.

To be honest i gasped when they said it was to be a smaller world (than oblivion, but if that means walking it and enjoying the world... cool!
As for the game play i trust them to give us something worth playing.....

..... this beast is definitely something else.
Zanch's Avatar
Zanch at 03/05/2008 10:30
The fact remains that the people who are complaining are likely the most hardcore contingent of Fallout fans. This group of people is likely much smaller than the total audience Bethesda is aiming for, they're just more vocal than the rest. The game is going o sell like hotcakes, regardless of some nostalgic fanboys crying foul.
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 03/05/2008 10:40
@Pangloss: You mean Star Wars Galaxies ;)
CaffeinePowered's Avatar
CaffeinePowered at 03/05/2008 10:47
@Boolean Wasn't Galaxies the other way around? They didn't listen and then the game want to garbage. I thought I remember hearing otherwise.

I used to play planetside and I remember the general outrage over some changes, devs never listened and the game basically tanked. :(
FatBologna's Avatar
FatBologna at 03/05/2008 10:48
@Tragic Hero:

Well shit, ,man...If YOU say YOU'D rather not have a Fallout 3 at all, maybe Bethesda should listen. Just hold on a sec, I'll give them a call.........yeah, um, they told me to tell you to take your lame fanboy "opinions" and stuff them up your fat ass...Soooo I guess that's that...STFUAJPG!
FatBologna's Avatar
FatBologna at 03/05/2008 10:48
@Tragic Hero:

Well shit, ,man...If YOU say YOU'D rather not have a Fallout 3 at all, maybe Bethesda should listen. Just hold on a sec, I'll give them a call.........yeah, um, they told me to tell you to take your lame fanboy "opinions" and stuff them up your fat ass...Soooo I guess that's that...STFUAJPG!
FatBologna's Avatar
FatBologna at 03/05/2008 10:52
@MagicAQ:

Thank you sir, for your ability and willingness to use rational thought unclouded by nostalgic fanboyness...

GEORGE LUCAS RAPED MY CHILDHOOD!!!
Pacopaco's Avatar
Pacopaco at 03/05/2008 10:52
Funny, this is the first article I read after last night's "Brawl's 5 Biggest Letdowns" thread...
akathatoneguy's Avatar
akathatoneguy at 03/05/2008 10:57
@ Tragic Hero-

Titan Quest did just fine with an isometric view? Isn't that the game that was recently on the front page with news about it selling very poorly? With a comments section full of Dtoiders saying the game sucked ass and they stopped playing after 10 minutes? Maybe not the best example.

To everyone else, remember for every Fallout fan who stubbornly have decided to hate this game without even PLAYING it, there are at least two or three people who have never played the game who will give it a chance, and likely love it.

How can you guys hate a game without having played it? It's really quite pathetic, fanboyism at its finest.

BTW, since it's quasi-on-topic, nobody can "rape" your childhood. A sucky (in your opinion) Fallout 3 does nothing to hurt the experience you had in the first two. Quit being melodramatic. (Not addressing Fatbologna, I know he was being sarcastic)
akathatoneguy's Avatar
akathatoneguy at 03/05/2008 11:03
A couple last things while I'm at it.

--How in the world can the quote in the story be considered inflammatory, or anything other than common sense? Someone please explain to me how it's anything but sensible.

--It's funny how for certain games (like Fallout 3 apparently), people want the same "formula" again and again, but they have no problem bashing other games (ie EA Sports titles, GTA series, etc.) for being "the same game every year".
Crapsh00t's Avatar
Crapsh00t at 03/05/2008 11:18
I'm pumped for this newest iteration of Fallout. From what I've seen of the apocalyptic vistas, it may necessitate my finally getting an HDTV.
CaffeinePowered's Avatar
CaffeinePowered at 03/05/2008 11:32
@akathoneguy

Its not that fallout fans, or at least some of us, mind seeing things changed, its that we want the core themes to stay the same.

We want the same quality of writing and dialog, we want to see the game present us with moral choices, with consequences that go beyond what one might immediately think. I also want to see dark humor and lots of it.

For example in Fallout 2, one town full of mutants runs a nuke reactor and a near by town of normal humans is having their ground water poisoned, lets say you play a good character. You go, fix the reactor, but find out you can optimize it so that one town can sell the other electricity and everyone is happy right?

Well wrong, if you go too far you find out that the one town invades the other, and slaughters the inhabitants. You were just trying to do a good thing, but it just went too far.

Bethesda so far has greatly disappointed players on the RPG front with Oblivion, which is more of an action game with RPG elements peppered onto it than something like The Witcher (to name a recent game).

If they wanted to make their own post apocalyptic action-semi-RPG they could, but they chose to take an existing license and that means we now have certain expectations about what kind of game its going to be.

(long comment is long)
FatBologna's Avatar
FatBologna at 03/05/2008 11:47
Uhh..CaffeinePowered go watch the Developer interview from E3 '07, The dude basically covers all the shit you're worried about and more. It sounds to me like they plan to have the tone, story and overall fell of the game be spot-on with the others. The only main difference in the game seems to be the gameplay. So what me worry, eh?
Rosseh's Avatar
Rosseh at 03/05/2008 11:50
That is exactly the kind of thing you should hear from every developer. Like everyone has stated before, there's a time when you listen to the audience and a time when you have to go with your vision and idea of a great product. It's the same for all kinds of media.
slobu's Avatar
slobu at 03/05/2008 11:56
Listen to fans? I think they tried. Fans of RPGs want hardcore FPS - otherwise why did they buy that GeForce 99999999? Heck, if Square can make Dirge of my Cerebellum why can't they make Fallout 3: RPG? Have a FPS!
LxLegend's Avatar
LxLegend at 03/05/2008 12:02
Asking Bethesda to make Fallout 3 have an isometric view, with turn based or Diablo styled combat would be like asking an automotive engineer to design a car without using plastics, and composite materials.

Why have point and click on a target to have a character shoot it when the technology exist where I can aim and shoot at the target myself. Why should they use a rts style interface to simulate real time combat when they can put real time combat right into the game? Because the fans want it that way?

As long as a quality story is there Fallout 3 will do fine.
slobu's Avatar
slobu at 03/05/2008 12:10
LxLegend has a point, unfortunately it's the point of view of someone who eats Quake for breakfast and I Wanna Be the Guy for dinner.

I could ask the same question from a RPG gamers perspective:

Why have a rocket launcher and caffeine addled reflexes to target an enemy? Why choose an FPS interface to simulate strategic, thought inducing combat? Because fans want it that way?

Er, yes, RPG fans want it that way. Put away the BFG 2000.
Netrat33's Avatar
Netrat33 at 03/05/2008 12:13
what they should do to make it easier for everyone is just drop the '3' and just call it something else like Fallout: Stabbing East! or something. Ya i know the name sucks but just saying it would probably be easier for everyone. You tag on that '3' and now you have some big shoes to fill.
angusm's Avatar
angusm at 03/05/2008 12:24
I really need to play the first two.
But, having not played any I'm hoping this will be good.
Although, I kinda thought Oblivion was balls.
CaffeinePowered's Avatar
CaffeinePowered at 03/05/2008 12:30
@LX

Just like soblu said, its an RPG, not an FPS. I think developers really are thinking about things the wrong way. Just because you can do everything real time, doesn't mean that you have to or should.

If I want to play an FPS I'll play Team Fortress, but sometimes I like the game to slow down, pause, and allow me to think about who I'm going to attack, what skills or powers I want to use, ect.

A real time system possibly like KoToR would be fine, just make it so the skill is entirely based on dice rolls behind the scenes for the character and not how accurate I am with a mouse.
Sam Spectre's Avatar
Sam Spectre at 03/05/2008 12:31
Good for Bethesda. Why should a few hundred crazy fans on the forums get to decide what the game is like?

I've never played the previous Fallouts, but maybe that's a good thing because I'll enjoy the third much more than if I had played them.
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