They curse it til their dying days

Tim Cain was looking forward to seeing what they could do with it... But the sale was said [by Boyarsky ~I believe] to have been like the ex-wife selling off their kids.

What did the original creators of Fallout say about Fallout 3, if anything? I want to know their opinion on the game.

In the same interview he praised FO3 as a very good game that he personally enjoyed. (Boyarsky that is)

As for the original question, some of them like it, some don't.

Who don't?

Well, before playing FO3, Chris Taylor said that if he liked it, he'd write about it, but otherwise, he wouldn't mention it. He never did...

Well, before playing FO3, Chris Taylor said that if he liked it, he'd write about it, but otherwise, he wouldn't mention it. He never did... Of the 6 original creators, Tim Cain is the only one I recall speaking about his impressions of FO3 at all, actually.

What "same interview"? His remark about "ex-wife" was made in 2006, long before Fallout 3 was released. And I don't recall Boyarsky ever mentioning his opinion of Fallout 3 in any interview. In fact, I'm pretty damn sure he didn't.

As for the original question, some of them like it, some don't.

On the subject of Fallout 3, how do you feel about Bethesda getting the license, and what direction do you see them taking the series?

To be perfectly honest, I was extremely disappointed that we did not get the chance to make the next Fallout game. This has nothing to do with Bethesda, it's just that we've always felt that Fallout was ours and it was just a technicality that Interplay happened to own it. It sort of felt as if our child had been sold to the highest bidder, and we had to just sit by and watch. As far as where they will take it, you'd have to ask them that. Since I have absolutely no idea what their plans are, I can't comment on whether I think they're going in the right direction with it or not.

ow did you feel when you knew that you lost the race for the Fallout license ?

Like someone kicked me in the nuts and then kidnapped one of my daughters. Okay, maybe that's a bit too harsh, but I was upset. As I said in a previous interview (on DAC), we always felt like Fallout was ours, and it was just a technicality that Interplay owned it. I always thought we'd end up working on it again, and when the opportunity seemed to present itself again, I got overexcited and figured the universe was realigning itself to deliver Fallout back to us. Sadly for us, it looks like we won't be getting the opportunity to further the Fallout universe in line with our original vision.

He said in an interview with Edge on Tuesday, "I do like what I've seen about Fallout 3. I've talked to those guys at Bethesda about it. It's their IP now and they've gone in a certain direction and it's very intriguing.

"It's not necessarily the direction I would've gone, but I can tell you I have my Fallout 3 pre-ordered. I want my life-sized Pip-Boy. I'm going to be playing that at the end of the month."

What are your impressions of what you've seen of Fallout 3? Do you think that they're doing that franchise justice?

TC: I do like what I've seen about Fallout 3. I've talked to those guys at Bethesda about it and they know that it's their IP now and they've gone in a certain direction that I find very intriguing. It's not necessarily the direction I would have gone, but I can tell you I have my Fallout 3 pre-ordered. I want my life-sized Pip-Boy and I'm going to be all ready to play that at the end of the month.

What direction would you have taken it? The way that they describe it is they're basing it more off of the feel of the original Fallout rather than Fallout 2, obviously with their own twist on it. But what would you have done different?

TC: I'm not sure. I've hardly thought about Fallout. I did think more about the online version of Fallout, because I've also talked to the guys at Interplay about Fallout Online. The biggest problem I have with expanding the game currently is the single player games were designed to make you feel like you're one of the last people on earth. With Fallout 3 and the online version, I'm curious how they handle making the game not feel too crowded, like there's not a lot of life out there that's left after the war. But I'm not sure. I like how they did called shots. It's an interesting way of adding called shots into a game that otherwise has real-time combat. I'm still waiting to see how the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. survives the transition into real time, but to be honest I'm approaching Fallout 3 as a consumer, not a developer. I just want to play it and enjoy it.

I think Bethesda did two things, and I'll start with that sort of thing. Any great game, it's beyond how exactly you play it. It's how you play it, and a specific "Are there numbers? and "Are there not numbers?" and all that kind of stuff. It's more of a feeling.

What really was great about the original Fallout, Fallout 1 and Fallout 2, was the feeling of being in this world. And that was attractive. Well, attractive is maybe the wrong word. It was compelling. (laughs) That's a better word.

I think what Bethesda did an incredible job at is making you feel like you are in this Fallout world. And that's what we did back at Black Isle, to make you really feel like you were in this Fallout world. The whole thing -- from the loading screens to the main menu to the Pip-Boy to all that kind of stuff -- it really felt like it was a whole cohesive unit of feeling like you're in this world. And they did that.

When you do that, it is instantly more compelling to any kind of gamer. As long as they feel like they're not being hindered by something or that something is annoying in the game, then they're probably going to enjoy it. And I guess part of that is also taking it, obviously, from a turn-based PC game to using the Oblivion engine and learning how to use their Oblivion engine and make it Fallout. And that's not to say that it's just Oblivion: Fallout.

I think the second thing that Bethesda did an incredible job at -- and this is what they do really well -- is they are just behind their games. I think a lot of the success of Fallout 3 in particular -- because there are people probably at Bethesda that Fallout 3 is not the kind of game that they play -- but they jumped in with both feet, like, "This is the game. We believe in this game." And I think that is why you see a success, too. It's almost catching.

In other words, you have a publisher who's like, "Well, we have these seven games. What do you think?" Bethesda is, "No, you're buying this damn game." So, I think that the success was from both ways. They were able to get the feeling of Fallout, and they really believed in their game. And that belief in the game came through in how they were talking to everybody and pimping it and all that kind of stuff.

# What is your hope for future Fallout games? Would you like to be a part of a future Fo team?

I've played Fallout 3 and I enjoy it quite a bit. I think that Bethesda made a great game and they did an excellent job of paying homage to the Fallout continuity while bringing some fresh, new ideas to the table. I think that what I would like to see in a future Fallout is the same as addressing my only real issue with the game: All of the old familiar elements of the Fallout world migrated to the east coast, so we have the Enclave, the super mutants, the Brotherhood of Steel; I'd like to see more new groups, more power factions and societies that have sprung up in a big way. I get the feeling from Fo3 that there's a sort of "power vacuum" in the east and that these groups moved out there to fill that hole, but this is probably not the way things are going everywhere. I bet there are other big groups out and about making their mark on the wastelands, some of whom may have crossed swords with the existing power blocs, others who have never heard of 'em. (See Caesar's Legions in the design docs for Van Buren - a large, organized power group that runs the show in a particular area of territory.) I'm glad to see the BoS and the super mutants and the centaurs and whatnot, but I don't have to see all of the old groups to know that it's Fallout. I guess we don't have Followers of the Apocalypse in Fo3, though. Most of the new power groups in Fo3 are relatively local in the game, such as Rivet City (which is a thriving metropolis, but it does not try to project its power across the Capital Wasteland) or the Temple of the Union (which is an awesome idea but I get the sense that they're very "new" and not super influential). Anyway, for future Fallout games, I hope that Bethesda (and Interplay, on V13 - assuming it is in fact Fallout Online, 'cause I'm not in a position to confirm anything) continues to look at the franchise with a critical eye and say "How can we tell interesting stories in the same vein established previously for Fallout?" I'm really looking forward to the downloadable content. I really want to see the Pitt.
I'm sure that Bethesda has a ton of really talented and experienced people on their Fo design team already, but if they offered me a shot at working on Fallout again, I probably wouldn't say no!

So have you played Fallout 3?

JA: Yeah.

What did you think?

JA: I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. In some ways I really felt they captured the Fallout feeling, and other things were somewhat expected than what I expected from a Fallout game. That being said, I definitely understand that these things take on a life of their own. All in all, I felt it was really good. I liked it.

One thing we could have done better with Fallout 1 and 2, was really convey the '50's sci-fi look. The movie 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' really did it right visually! So I had high hopes for Fallout 3. And I was hoping Bethesda would really push the art style! But, to me, it ended up looking like any other shooter game. And that's a shame, 'cause the best thing 'bout Fallout, for an artist, is its genre. It has such visual potential! But, yeah, I would have loved to be on the Fallout 3 team!

# What is your hope for future Fallout games? Would you like to be a part of a future Fallout team?

I really like the way Fallout 3 went. I liked the story they had, but even more than that, I liked that they kept the desolate and bleakness of the original. I think there are many, many years worth of stories left to tell, in all regions of the mythos. And I would always love to work on another Fallout game, but if not in an official capacity, I know there's always the construction set?

I like how many of them are supportive and appreciative of Bethesda.. even to the point of expressing they would have loved to be on the team. A stark contrast to what many of the so-called 'fans' would suggest.

Do you know the history here, about that?

I like how many of them are supportive and appreciative of Bethesda.. even to the point of expressing they would have loved to be on the team. A stark contrast to what many of the so-called 'fans' would suggest.

Actually some of the 'fans' you're talking about probably would have liked Fallout 3 more if the original developers had a hand in the project. It could have definitely been closer to the original vision from a creative standpoint at least; for example Power Armor may not have been nerfed to the point of uselessness, and there may have been new power groups instead of contrived explanations for the Brotherhood of Steel, Super Mutants and Enclave all being in the right place at the right time.

A lot of the folks at Bethesda never played the original games, so a lot of Fallout 3 felt contrived and illogical (in the context of the setting) since they didn't really know what they were doing. It's not entirely their fault; some of them may have been brought onto the team, and given no real time to take a look at the original games. Still Fallout 3 even if it were still TES with guns may have been a lot better if it actually had some of the original creative minds on board.

And it may have been worse! You can't always just bring random people into an established team and expect it to work.

And how do you know most of Bethesda never played the original games? I would wager they were encouraged, if not required, to play them early on in the project to get a feel for what they were working on.

And only one person mentioned the different faction stuff, so saying bringing that guy in would have resulted in implementation is a bit naive.

Let's not turn this into that tired sort of discussion again. Fallout 3 was not what some of the fans of the older version wanted. Period. But making a statement that most of the Bethesda team had never played the original game and thus did not know what they are doing is one of the more petty and resentful statements I have seen here, around this line of "argument". So don't do that, okay? All it does is immediately side-track any reasonable discussion.

There are no guarantees that having some members from the earlier days on the team would have made anyone satisfied, or made a difference in Bethesda's creative vision - it still would not have been their show to run.

I am curious

Some of them actually did apply for jobs at Bethesda and were turned down.