Here's what Tim said asked for comments on F3:

Hey Brendon, I'm not commenting on the Fallout 3 game. Since it's been almost ten years since I worked on the original games, I am not sure I am even in a position to accurately review it. Besides, the end of Troika marked the end of my public career. I will still make games, but I will let other people market, demo and otherwise shout their goodness into the airwaves.

Rest assured that I plan to play Fallout 3 when it comes out. I am as expectant as any fan, but I am going to reserve comment and judgment until I can play the finished game.

In the opinion of GamerNode, it would be better to wait until the release of the game so as to be able to express judgements about it as a whole, like Cain suggests.

Alan Nanes, one of the game designers responsible for writing dialog and developing plotlines in Fallout 3, is interviewed in this week's edition of Inside the Vault.

Excerpts:

What have you drawn on for inspiration in developing Fallout 3?

It would be easy for me to say I immediately ran to my DVD collection and threw Road Warrior or Six-String Samurai in, but this isn’t the case. I decided to draw my inspiration from the original source: the old Fallout games themselves (specifically Fallout 1 & 2). I wanted to make sure I replayed them and understood what the original developers were trying to bring to the table. I hadn’t actually fired the games up in years, so it was great to rediscover them all over again.

This doesn’t mean that visuals from other movies or games never entered my mind. Films like Children of Men, Delicatessen, Escape from New York, 12 Monkeys and Soylent Green and games such as Bad Blood, Autoduel and Wasteland all provided interesting backdrops from which ideas began springing forth. Honestly though, Emil Pagliarulo himself was a great inspiration. His genuine love of the source material is evident in every write-up and synopsis he gives us.

(...)

How long have you been playing Fallout?

I’ve been experiencing Fallout ever since the games were released. As I had mentioned before, there was definitely a gap of time where they were packed in boxes and sat idle, but were never forgotten. The day I heard we were going to be actually developing a Fallout title was the day I cracked those boxes open again.

One of the things I always admired about Fallout, especially the first one, was that choices really meant something. It wasn’t just disguised dialog that funneled you to the same plot point. They made a concerted effort to make the game change depending on how YOU wanted to play. Your actions shaped the world and yet you still remained in sight of your final goal (well all the while you had a blast doing it). I hope to bring this same feeling to Fallout 3.

(...)

What would you say is the best game you’ve played in the last year?

The best game in the past year would have to be S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The atmosphere was right, the setting was creepy and the game had a decent mix of action and RPG elements without being overcome by tons of numbers. The game feels old school, but not visually dated. Games like this are a strong influence for me when I present my ideas at game system and Design meetings. And no, I didn’t finish it yet, but I am currently still enjoying it immensely.

(...)

Pitch me your dream game in a sentence or less. Go.

My dream game would be a serious Star Trek RPG complete with an entire universe to explore.

Read the whole interview here.

I just wanted to post this on the main page to catch the attention of any lurking developers. There is quite a bit of talk coming from Bethesda about how they don't want to add in the option of targeting eyes in VATS. For example, from the Strategy Core interview with Emil Pagliarulo:

SC: No shots to the eyes?
EP: No, and I'll tell you why. We talked about that, we prototyped it, and when you play the game and see it in such high def, when you shoot someone in the eyes you expect the head to blow up anyway. Shooting someone in the head has the same effect. If you get a critical on them they get dazed and stuff.

I can see shooting. But what about melee weapons and unarmed combat? Surely if you go to punch someone in the eye, their head won't just up and explode, right? If you aren't strong enough to fight the person outright, it's a perfect way to incapacitate your opponent long enough so that you can either run away or perform some other devious maneuver on him. It's the same thing with targetted shots to the groin. It's a perfect way to deal a devasting blow to someone without killing them or causing them much irreperable damage. Know what I mean?

Aussie mag Atomic Gaming has published a transcript of the opening to the Fallout 3 demo, which is purported to be the final opening sequence to the game. Have a look.

War. War never changes. Since the dawn of human kind, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything, from God to justice to simple, psychotic rage.

In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation. But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world - but war, war never changes.

In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters, known as vaults. But when they emerged, they had only the hell of the wasted to greet them - all except those in Vault 101. For on the fateful day, when fire rained from the sky, the giant steel door of Vault 101 slid closed... and never reopened. It was here you were born. It is here you will die because, in Vault 101, no one ever enters and no one ever leaves

StrategyCore has posted an interview with Emil Pagliarulo with questions provided by NMA. Highlights:

"What it comes down to is that we're all Fallout fans. We love the original games. (But) not every Fallout fan wants a turn-based isometric game." Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer, Fallout 3
(...)
SC: So what happens when your character levels? You choose the skills you want to boost?
EP: Yeah, when you level you get skill points, and the number of skill points you get are based on your intelligence. So you can put those toward your skills and the primary tag skills get more points added when you level up.
(...)
Other interviewer: Do you run into instances where NPCs are fighting?
SC: Or random encounters?
EP: We love to do that and we have good tools to do it. We didn't do this in Oblivion, but for the first time we actually have a designer completely dedicated to free-form encounters out in the wasteland. You'll definitely encounter people fighting rad scorpions and other creatures out in the wasteland. It's definitely a single character game, but there are companions that you take. Your companions are based on your karma, so there's a sunset of companions that are good guys, evil guys or neutral. But you need to find those guys, take them with you, and watch the interaction between those characters.
(...)
SC: Are there going to be a lot of new weapons? The FatMan (essentially a nuclear hand grenade launcher) in the presentation is new, but what other new weapons will there be?
EP: There are a lot of weapons. I was surprised looking at our weapon list and seeing how many we had. There are the Fallout weapon skills: big guns, small guns, energy weapons, melee, unarmed which are all fully exploited, so we have weapons for them all. We also have a series of custom made weapons that you can construct if you find a schematic and the right junk in the wasteland. So yes, there are quite a few weapons.
(...)
SC: No shots to the eyes?
EP: No, and I'll tell you why. We talked about that, we prototyped it, and when you play the game and see it in such high def, when you shoot someone in the eyes you expect the head to blow up anyway. Shooting someone in the head has the same effect. If you get a critical on them they get dazed and stuff.

SC: It doesn't look like you could finish the game without killing a lot of people.
EP: Not entirely true. It depends on the quest. You saw all the speech options and dialog in the demo. As far as dialog options go, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The amount of interaction through dialog is three times what we had in Oblivion. There's a really strong stealth component. There are a lot of paths through the quests and some are non-violent. That said, you can't wander off into the wasteland and expect to live.

SC: Can a character dodge?
EP: That is part of the real time engine. You can definitely move to take cover behind stuff and duck down.
(...)
SC: Are there any new mutant animals?
EP: New mutant animals. Let's see. We're still going through our creature list. I don't want to say what they are, but yes.

Other interviewer: What kind of creatures are in the game?
EP: All of the Fallout classics are back. There's a full line of robots: you saw the Protectron in the presentation (a Robby-the-Robot-type robot that was in the Metro Subway), Mr. Handy, Robobrain and Sentrybot. Right before E3 the rad scorpion just went in fully animated. There's also the classic deathclaw. There are lots of creatures are in the game.

SC: So is the DC Brotherhood of Steel the same Brotherhood of Steel that was on the West Coast? Is it nationwide?
EP: You’re the only person that asked me that question. I'm surprised that no one else has. Let me just say that its come up a lot that "How did the Super Mutants and the Brotherhood of Steel get on the East Coast?". We answer those questions in the game and there's a reason why they're there. They are somehow connected to the other Brotherhood of Steel but we cover those bases within the game.
(...)
Other interviewer: Is there a centralized storyline or is it completely free branching?
EP: There is definitely a storyline. We use the character's dad as a device: Dad leaves the Vault, you follow him. But why did he leave? What was he up to? And all that ties into the players’ relationship with the Capitol wasteland and are those people worth saving.

Read the whole thing here.

Polish gaming site Gry-Online has posted a nice Fallout 3 Q&A. Of special interest is the section on modding and children in Fallout 3:

Shuck: Allegedly there are supposed to be children in-game. Are you going to be able to kill them, like in previous titles?

Emil: That we do not know yet. It is one of the most important topics to think out. The thing is, we're dealing with a next-gen game and we're not only talking about killing, but exploding heads and eye balls rolling down the street. As a designer, you need to ask yourself if you want such elements in the game.

Shuck: We're also dealing with an RPG game, which should leave as many choices as it can to the player.

Emil: Indded, but there are a lot of problems that need to be taken into account.

Shuck: So tbe children are not neccessarily going to appear in Fallout 3?

Emil: They will positively be there, but we don't know if they can be killed.

...

Shuck: Do you plan to support the modding community by providing them with tools?

Emil: We don't know yet - we're discussing it. It is something we've done for Oblivion, but this doesn't automatically mean we'll do the same for Fallout. The truth is, preparing such tools takes a lot of time, and this is time lost to production of the actual game. We shall see.

Shuck: Is this caution caused by the trouble caused to you by the infamous Oblivion mod?

Emil: No. But it is a fact that when you release modding tools, you loose a great deal of control over your game.

Read the whole thing here.

Gametactics has an E3 video interview with Lead Designer Emil Pagliarulo. He talks about how Rivet City (the aircraft carrier) is a scientific community, but that's about it for new stuff.

Watch the whole thing here.

Thanks to John for pointing it out.

So, Vault Dweller from the RPGCodex wrote a nice summary of quotes from the press and different game magazines. It`s for all those people, who can`t define the genre of Fallout 3. Some examples:

Actually it's interesting for me - it harkens back for me to some of the most enjoyable first-person games I've ever played, the Terminator games Bethesda made. Fallout 3 is Bethesda's triumphant return to gunplay games, after swords and sorcery for so long. For me it's about bringing back THAT legacy.
_{Emil Pagliarulo, Eurogamer}

Fallout 3 is ultimately an action role-playing game.
_XBOXIC

The game could be categorized as a first-person shooter.
_GameZone

You can read the whole thing here.

• RPG Fan awards Fallout 3 “Best Overall RPG of E3 2007″
  

• Yahoo Games lists Fallout 3 within its Top 10 Showstoppers
  

• Kotaku has Fallout 3 on third place for their “Best of Show” award
  

• Over on UGO, Rusty gives the E3 crown to Fallout 3
  

• Game Lyfe declares Fallout 3 “Best RPG of E3″.
  

It seems that Bethesda issued a press relesae to E3 attendees this year, describing the selling points of Fallout 3. Have a look:

KEY FEATURES:
• Limitless Freedom! – Take in the sights and sounds of the vast Capital Wasteland! See the great monuments of the United States lying in post-apocalyptic ruin! You make the choices that define you and change the world. Just keep an eye on your Rad Meter!

• Experience S.P.E.C.I.A.L.! – Vault-Tec® engineers bring you the latest in human ability simulation – the SPECIAL Character System! Utilizing new breakthroughs in points-based ability representation, SPECIAL affords unlimited customization of your character. Also included are dozens of unique skills and perks to choose from, each with a dazzling variety of effects!

• Fantastic New Views! – The wizards at Vault-Tec® have done it again! No longer constrained to just one view, experience the world from 1st or 3rd person perspective. Customize your view with the touch of a button!

• The Power of Choice! – Feeling like a dastardly villain today, or a Good Samaritan? Pick a side or walk the line, as every situation can be dealt with in many different ways. Talk out your problems in a civilized fashion, or just flash your Plasma Rifle.

• Blast ‘Em Away With V.A.T.S.! –Even the odds in combat with the Vault-Tec® Assisted Targeting System for your Pip-Boy Model 3000! V.A.T.S. allows you to pause time in combat, target specific body parts on your target, queue up attacks, and let Vault-Tec take out your aggression for you. Rain death and destruction in an all-new cinematic presentation featuring gory dismemberments and spectacular explosions.

• Mind-Blowing Artificial Intelligence! – At Vault-Tec®, we realize that the key to reviving civilization after a global nuclear war is people. Our best minds pooled their efforts to produce an advanced version of Radiant AI, America’s First Choice in Human Interaction Simulation™. Facial expressions, gestures, unique dialog, and lifelike behavior are brought together with stunning results by the latest in Vault-Tec® technology.

• Eye-Popping Prettiness!* – Witness the harsh realities of nuclear fallout rendered like never before in modern super-deluxe HD graphics. From the barren Wasteland, to the danger-filled offices and metro tunnels of DC, to the hideous rotten flesh of a mutant’s face.

*Protective Eyewear Encouraged

I've uploaded 3 new high res (1280*720) screenshots from Fallout 3. No new content, just higher resolution.

RPGGamer has posted their E3 impressions of Fallout 3. Highlights:

On realism:

Todd then moved a bit around the lab, showing off the immense detail of the room. He said that one of their goals was to study up on the stuff they were making, because there should be a point to all the dials, levers, and whatsits that appear on the mechanical devices. It's all about achieving a greater feeling of realism.

On the ability to queue up attacks in VATS:

Meanwhile, a battle in some old abandoned metro tunnels showed us how the targetting system could be used to strategically queue up successive attacks against multiple enemies, and another battle against some giant ants demonstrated how hitting their antennae could cause them to become frenzied and attack their own allies.

Read the whole thing here.

IGN has interviewed Lead Designer Emil Pagliarulo. The interview was apparently streamed live and was only accessible but subscribers. According to Zenmaster Omega at the Bethesda forums, Emil notes the following:

-the different people that can be recruited for your "party" will be limited based on your karma
-"might" have some characters coming back, but they aren't talking about it yet
-load times faster than Oblivion right now.
-blowing up Megaton will make your karma "plummet"
-There will be an invisible wall at the end of the world.
-Brotherhood of Steel is a "neo-knightly organization that is waging war in DC" (direct quote)
-Game is running on DX 9 right now and they would "never release just on Vista"

-He thinks it is very important about the original Fallout and Fallout 3 that all the factions, like Raiders, slavers and Super Mutants weren't all completely evil and that you never knew where you'd find friends.
-"Absolutely not" to multiplayer

Thanks to Stainless for pointing this out.

Voodoo Extreme has posted 3 high res screenshots from Fallout 3. These shots were originally in Game Informer, so they're not really new, but it's nice to look at them in more detail.

Go here to check them out.

This is just a reminder that Duck and Cover has a fantastic Fallout 3 preview and interview resource for you to check out. I will keep updating it as more stuff comes in, so in case you miss a news post, just check the Preview Index!

Link: Fallout 3 Preview and Interview Index on DAC.