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Fallout 2 chat log from September 16th, 1998
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[ N/A -> Interview ] |
| Interview posted by 258 |
Wed 28 Jul 2004, 9:04 AM |
| Chat with Black Isle Studios
16th September, 1998 |
Meghan - Hi Matt :)
Krys_IPLY - Hi, Matt!
Matt_N - hello all
Matt_IPLY - there we go
Meghan - Yeah :)
Meghan - Okay.. first some spam, then we'll get going
Meghan - Matt, could you explain your role in developing Fallout 2 please?
Matt_IPLY - sure, I'm a designer on the game
Matt_IPLY - I guess the best way to describe that
Krys_IPLY - You're so modest ;)
Matt_IPLY - is to compare it to making films
Matt_IPLY - it's like being a director in a way, we don't code the game, but we determine what's supposed to happen
Matt_IPLY - we don't draw all the art, but we need to know what it's *supposed* to look like
Matt_IPLY - we end up writing, in plain, simple, english a lot of text and descriptions of what's supposed to happen
Matt_IPLY - then the artists, programmers, and scripters add their own flair to the whole thing
Meghan - What else have you worked on?
Matt_IPLY - I'm a lead designer so, with Feargus, I am in charge of keeping the design team focused on developing the game
Matt_IPLY - I write a lot of dialog
Matt_IPLY - I've worked on Dragon Dice, Descent to Undermountain, and Stonekeep 2, and a few others
Matt_IPLY - :)
Meghan - Cool :) Want to just straight to questions?
Meghan - er.. jump to them that is.
Matt_IPLY - sure, go right ahead with the questions
Meghan - :)
SkeletonJ - 1. Will genders play a important part in the quests and will some quests only be available to certain genders?
SkeletonJ - 2. Will you be able to get another dog for your loyal companion?
SkeletonJ - 3. Are there going to be hidden random encounters, such as Bob's used cars and the crashed spaceship? Any chance you can tell us how many?
SkeletonJ - 4. Will shooting people in the limbs have more of an affect and can you blow the limbs off or will we have to wait for Fallout 3 for that?
SkeletonJ - 5. You have said before that skills will be harder to get to high levels. Can you explain further?
Meghan - Oh my
Krys_IPLY - Go, Skeleton, Go!
Meghan - Let me request now that you don't ask more than one or two questions at a time! rofl :)
Matt_IPLY - lol, OK, OK, one at a time
SkeletonJ - 6. Do you have any idea how great your PR department is?
Krys_IPLY - What happened to #6? ; )
Meghan - Aaaaw :)
Krys_IPLY - There it is...
Matt_IPLY - #1 Genders are important but it won't determine whether a quest is available to a PC so much as give the PC *different* ways to solve the quest
Krys_IPLY - LOL -- I can't believe you!
Matt_IPLY - #2 Yes, there are many dogs-arf arf
Matt_IPLY - #3 Yes, there are more Special random encounters than ever before, some for very high-luck characters and some for very unlucky characters ;)
Matt_IPLY - #4 The basic bones of the combat system will not change substantially, however, NPCs will fight smarter than they used to (including party member NPCs)
Matt_IPLY - #5 The higher your current skill, the more points it will cost you to increase the skill--as an example--0-50 points will cost you 1 each, 51-100 might cost you 2 pts., but we have to fine tune that.
Matt_IPLY - #6 our PR department ROCKS :) (not sucking up at all, no really ;)--GA
Krys_IPLY - Yeah, right
Meghan - rofl
Meghan - Thanks SkeletonJ :)
Krys_IPLY - ; )
ddt - i heard that fallout, which we all *loved*, only sold 50k units. how much did fallout 1 cost to develop? it already sounds like you've spent nearly as much on fallout 2. will more units sell this time round you think? minor pet peave: did you optimize the sector load time so that it doesn't take so long hitting the CD? i notice the cd does a lot of seeks (which should be unnecessary). again, I LOVED Fallout! u TOTALLY filled the shoes Orig
Matt_IPLY - so much for the *one* question thing ;)
Matt_IPLY - lol
Meghan - ddt, you got cut off at Orig :(
Meghan - Hehe
ddt - ... origin left in the back of the closet.
Matt_IPLY - I don't have final sales figures, but RPGs tend to have a much longer shelf life than other games--they keep selling long after ppl have grown tired of a shooter
Meghan - Fallout sold more than 50K I believe.
Meghan - Over 80 last I checked? Krys, do you have any numbers from PC Data?
Matt_IPLY - I'm pretty sure that we'll sell more this time, ppl are much more aware of the Fallout line now--and we have a heck of a good game (if I do say so myself ;)
Krys_IPLY - No not right here -- let me ask Bauman
Meghan - I can't substantiate the 80k from home :(
Matt_IPLY - We'll probably end up dumping more of the game onto your HDD to lower load times, also we've optimized a few things to make it a bit quicker
ddt - thx!
Meghan - Thanks ddt/carly :)
indy - is there any chance of a tame skill or perk for geting new pets to join?, can we at least rename the ones we get?
Krys_IPLY - Meg, Marketing is going to tell us exactly were we are in sales...
Meghan - Great, Krys, thanks :)
Meghan - I know it wasn't as bad as 50!
Krys_IPLY - Domestic sales only through June 30 are appx 127K and counting!! Don't forget overseas sales too
Matt_IPLY - we had a tame animals skill in Fallout 1 and it just wasn't that useful, so we yanked it--now you'll have to be nice to each individual critter that you want to join you
Meghan - Cool :)
Matt_IPLY - unfortunately, you can't rename them--but we tried to give them good names for you :)
Matt_IPLY - it makes things much more difficult, dialog-wise, when names can be changed by the player
Meghan - Thanks indy :)
Dunks - The interface in Fallout 1 was really slow to react to user input (mouse clicks, moves, drags, etc). I was able to put up with this, but I know a lot of people that were put off by it and never bought/played the first game due to this (they tried the demo). Has this been fixed in the new game?
Matt_IPLY - We have done some things to speed up the game, and placing more of the game on your HDD will speed things up a bit, but the processor is the major roadblock there, the lag could have been due to a slower machine--can't really get around that one
Dunks - I had a PPro 200
Meghan - What kind of mouse?
Meghan - Logitech?
Dunks - Microsoft.
Meghan - Bizarre.. :(
CaSToR - Is there going to be a time limit in Fallout2? How long will it take for the average player to complete the game?
Matt_IPLY - we're planning on selling the game only to elite, enlightened, wonderful players, like the ones here ;)
Meghan - Hahaha
Matt_IPLY - there are some time limits in the game--for instance, if someone tells you that their daughter needs to be rescued withint 2-weeks then you better hop to it
Matt_IPLY - however, there are no overall-game time limitations
CaSToR - good
Matt_IPLY - there are real effects in the world around you as time passes but the game isn't going to shut -down when time 'X' is reached --
Meghan - How many hours of gameplay would you estimate?
Matt_IPLY - that's a tough one to estimate, I know that we left some holes in the last game that allowed the player to complete the game extremely quickly
Matt_IPLY - there won't be anything like that in Fallout 2
Matt_IPLY - there are at least 18 major game areas in Fallout 2
Matt_IPLY - and the smallest one is the size of the largest single area in Fallout 1
Matt_IPLY - so, there's a whole lot of gameworld to explore
CaSToR - that's it thanx
Meghan - Thanks CaSToR :)
Matt_IPLY - we're not really sure what the *minimum* playtime is yet
Alexand_the_Scribe - In the first game after a while the fights got a bit easy, unless you fought a LOT of eneimes at once, is this changed in FO2 ?
Matt_IPLY - lol, oh yeah
Matt_IPLY - right now they're a little too difficult ;)
Alexand_the_Scribe - : ), cool a challenge
Matt_IPLY - we realized that the challenge in F1 was largely gone once you found the combat armor and energy weaponry
Alexand_the_Scribe - *nod nod*
Matt_IPLY - this game's a lot tougher, and there are more ways to solve each quest as well
nappi - did Fallout2 work on Windows NT4 or later NT5? and if not, why is that?
Matt_IPLY - um, err, ahhh, I'm not *entirely sure, but I believe that we're NT4 compliant--trying to check on that right now--don't quote me until I can verify it :)
Matt_IPLY - looks like NT4 but I don't know about 5, our programmers are running NT 4.0 --but, again, check the box before you buy, to make sure :)
los|r - ok
los|r - Will you include a cheat/option to automatically enable "bloody mess" without wasting a starting characteristic?
Matt_IPLY - no, we're not planning to do that, if you want the gorey details you're going to have to give up another Trait--GA
los|r - doh
Meghan - Thanks los|er :)
los|r - thanks
Reliant - What program did you use to write Fallout2? 2: Will weaker, older weapons still be usefull later on in the game? (Later bosses being strong against plasma but weak against bullets)
Reliant - BTW: I-Play rocks (I'm not sucking up, on realy ;)
Krys_IPLY - Really?
Matt_IPLY - thanks :), I'm checking, but I think we used a Watcom compiler
Meghan - Hehe Reliant.. thanks :)
Matt_IPLY - weaker weapons generally aren't ever better than stronger weapons, however, we've tried to make more of a difference between the weapons and some will be more useful than others against certain critters
Hotep - When do you (the Fallout2 team) expect to have a finalized version of the game ready to submit to Interplay for final QA. Please don't say "fall" because by now you should have it narrowed down to within a couple of weeks (i.e. a project plan). I'm not holding you to anything, and I'm not asking when the game will be on store shelves, I just want to know when you (the team) plans on having a version that could go into duplica
Matt_IPLY - whoa, are we out of time?
Matt_IPLY - lol
Matt_IPLY - j/k
Meghan - rofl!
Matt_IPLY - I'd love to give you a more exact date but the truth is, just as soon as we can give you a really good game
Matt_IPLY - let's just say "Fall"
Hotep - that is still kinda of cop out
Meghan - Thanks Hotep, and sorry we don't have a concrete guess yet.
Krys_IPLY - Sorry, Hotep
Kilroy - How many Cd's is this going to be on?
Kilroy - Are there any plans to release a DVD enhanced version of Fallout2?
Kilroy - How close to a finished product are you?
Kilroy - thanx
Matt_IPLY - we may have to go to two CDs this time around, there's a lot of new stuff in this game, and we're pretty cramped on just one CD
Matt_IPLY - no DVD
Kilroy - doh..
Matt_IPLY - pretty darn close, but to be honest with all of you, we really don't always know just how long it will take
Meghan - Thank you Kilroy :)
Kilroy - Well..Thanks for answering honestly ;-)
Cid - Have you got any names on people doing voice acting? David Werner and Richard Moll were GREAT! Also, how long do you think the game will be in hours? The first seemed a little short to me (I beat it in a day)
Cid - And Interplay rox, by the way =)
Matt_IPLY - think about it, we're doing stuff that we've never done before, and it doesn't always work the way we think it will, some things that you think will be huge go real ez, other little details take foreeeeeevvvveeeerrrr--just never know
Matt_IPLY - sorry about the long repsonse
Meghan - Doh.. sorry for jumping the gun :)
Matt_IPLY - ok Cid, lemme get yours now, no problema
Cid - I'm a patient fella =)
Matt_IPLY - ok here's the list
Matt_IPLY - Charlie Adler
Matt_IPLY - Kevin Micheal Richardson
Cid - The guy from Rugrats? =)
Matt_IPLY - Jason Marsdon
Matt_IPLY - Cree Summer (Tandi from F1)
Matt_IPLY - Dwight Shultz
Matt_IPLY - Ron Perlman (back again from F1)
Matt_IPLY - Greg Eagles
Meghan - Woohoo!
Matt_IPLY - Jeffrey Jones
Krys_IPLY - Dwight Shultz!! It's the Murdock guy from the A-Team!
Matt_IPLY - Flo Di Rey
Cid - Cool!
Matt_IPLY - Tress MacNeille
Matt_IPLY - Peter Jason
Krys_IPLY - Jeffrey Jones is the principal, Ed Rooney in "Ferris Bueller"
Matt_IPLY - and Micheal Dorn (Worf)
Cid - Michael Dorn! Rock on
Matt_IPLY - I think you'll recognize most, if not all of the voices :)
RIKIMARU - In Fallout1 you can trade books with anything and steal it back. You can get lots of books in this way. Can we still do this in Fallout2?
Matt_IPLY - There aren't going to be as many books, in F1 there were a few places that gave you an almost unlimited supply of books, that will be gone
Matt_IPLY - we're trying to make ppl react realistically to theft of their items
RBarnes - In the demo for Fallout 1, you could shoot someone in the groin and they would often say "It burns!" This wasn't in the full game to my knowledge. Any way this could be slipped into Fallout 2? Also, will there be events running independently of player actions based on time, like the progression of the mutants in Fallout 1?
Matt_IPLY - there are actually going to be a (metric) ton more combat float messages--a truly awesome number
RBarnes - no, but I want that particular one
RBarnes - my favorite!
Matt_IPLY - also, there are quite a few things that run on their own tracks, independant of as well as directly effected by the PC's actions--this world really feels alive
RBarnes - cool
RBarnes - one more thing?
RBarnes - will npcs have jobs?
RBarnes - moving from house to work, like in ultimas?
Matt_IPLY - that means that ppl do stuff on their own, rather than just in response to the PC's actions
Matt_IPLY - NPCs do have jobs, and some of them move around from home to work to secret hideout and back
RBarnes - cool
RBarnes - thanks
Meghan - Thanks :)
Alpha_bravo - are you planning to refine the "tell me about...." feature? i had some major problems finding the right things to say for this. Also, will there be any of those "lucky encounters" like the alien ship, time maching, nuka cols truck, and mysterious stranger? if so how many? one more thing, if i may, ummm are we going to have more freedom in the charactor making screen at the start?sorry for all of those questions, but i made a list of thin
Alpha_bravo - oh, and r you guys gonna have a better carry weight feature??
Matt_IPLY - the "Tell me about" is gone--it always felt too *gamey*, too much unlike real conversation
Alpha_bravo - sorry about all of this. you don't have to answer all of it if you don't want to
Alpha_bravo - ok, i like that
Matt_IPLY - and there are a lot of special random encounters in this game, as well as more than 500 regular random encounters
Alpha_bravo - wow
Matt_IPLY - Fallout has a lot of freedom in PC creation now, I think the big difference is in the PC development after you've started play
Matt_IPLY - there are now over 100 perks to choose
Matt_IPLY - it's a big game folks :)
Alpha_bravo - oh! do we get stat points like we did in f1 with skill points
Meghan - erm?
Matt_IPLY - there are ways to increase your stats, but it's through gameplay rather than just character advancement
Meghan - okee
Meghan - Thanks :)
Buffy - 1. If Adler is back is Harold or is he playing some one new? 2. Can you tell me any new weapons other then the ones in the FAQ? 3. How is David Hendee?
Matt_IPLY - I'm honored
Matt_IPLY - Good call :) Charlie is indeed back as Harold (ta da!)
Buffy - hehehe
Matt_IPLY - there's no ghoul like a (really, really) old ghoul
Matt_IPLY - lots and lots and lots of ways to kill your fellow beings in F2
Matt_IPLY - Dave is gimping around with a hurt foot, we take bets as to whether he'll fall down the stairs with his crutches ;)
Matt_IPLY - j/k
Buffy - thanks
Meghan - Thanks Buffy!
MacCleod - I have three questions 1. what will the fallout dates be like before you get married , 2. what new drugs will there be and what will some of them do? 3. will there be addons?
Matt_IPLY - I'll do #2 first, what do you mean by fallout dates?
Matt_IPLY - there are a few new "drugs
MacCleod - like dating with a girl friend before you get maried
MacCleod - married
Matt_IPLY - including Jet--a super stimulant, and some non-traditional drugs like a cardgame called Tragic the Garnering(tm) ;)
Matt_IPLY - ah, i c
Meghan - HAHAHA
MacCleod - cool
Meghan - That's awful :P
Matt_IPLY - well, the way that the marriage happens is at the wrong-end of a shotgun
Matt_IPLY - although once you're married you can sell your spouse into slavery or pimp him/her for some extra cash
Meghan - Oh my :P
Matt_IPLY - not sure about the addons, there are certainly some areas that would fit nicely into the current game
Krys_IPLY - :O
Meghan - What happens if you play a female character? Do you marry a make?
Meghan - er male?
Krys_IPLY - We'll just be calling them "domestic partners" right Matt??
Matt_IPLY - actually, you can marry a male or femal spouse, regardless of your own gender (yet another boundry broken by the tireless Fallout crew ;)
Meghan - hehe
Krys_IPLY - So PC
Saha - My question has already been answered but I have another
Saha - If there are plans for a Fallout 3 will it be multiplayer?
Matt_IPLY - there will be a Fallout 3 (if you all buy a copy of Fallout 2 for everyone you know ;)
Saha - i will if its multi ;)
Matt_IPLY - don't know about the multiplayer--if you set up a game for multiplayer you loose out on storyline since you have to make everything that much more generic
Saha - 3 that is
Saha - not the case with bg is it?
Matt_IPLY - there's a real price to be paid there, and I don't know if we want to do that, have to burn that bridge when we come to it I guess
Matt_IPLY - bg?
Meghan - Baldur's Gate
Matt_IPLY - Baldur's is a very different kind of critter in it's own extremely cool way--kinda comparing apples and oranges there
Brainstorm - Hi Interplay people... I loved the amount of outside references in Fallout 1, especially the ones relating to Wasteland... any details you can give us on what's in Fallout 2 in that category, without spoiling much? Maybe a Bloodstaff or two? How about other outside references? Also... I'm sorry if my info is a little behind, but what's the status of the introduction sequence? If it's another Ink Spots song, can you give us a title?
Brainstorm - And Interplay rocks!
Meghan - rofl.. why, thank you!
Matt_IPLY - hmm, there are many, many other references to all kinds of media in Fallout 2
Matt_IPLY - I think you'd be hard pressed to find an area that *doesn't* have some inside jokes/references
Brainstorm - Any specific to Wasteland? (please say yes? :)
Matt_IPLY - we're working on getting a Louis Armstrong song for the opening title, we are really working hard to keep the same cool theme going in Fallout 2--there may very well be some Wasteland references but you'll have to play the game to find out where they are ;)
Mithras - I think there was some mention about releasing a tabletop RPG version of Fallout... Will this be related to GURPS, or maybe the new Post-apocalyptic Deadlands game at all? And also, how does one become a game designer? (ie, do you have a technical or writing background?)
Matt_IPLY - oh, a quick and easy question huh? ;)
Mithras - And while I'm here, Interplay rocks, and I am sucking up. =)
Matt_IPLY - the tabletop RPG is a dead issue at the moment
Meghan - rofl.. thanks Mithras :)
Matt_IPLY - there are all kinds of ways to become a game-designer--and if you send me a check or M.O. for only $29.95, I'll send you a big spanking list of them ;)
Matt_IPLY - j/k
Mithras - Was it intended to be licensed or developed internally?
Matt_IPLY - actually, I have a gaming background and I double majored in both History and English Lit in college
Matt_IPLY - oh, the paper RPG was going to be licensed
Mithras - It's nice to see actual RPG players writing CRPGs... should help with the spelling, at the very least.
Matt_IPLY - lol, I hope :)
Foltsman - I loved the secret in Fallout where if you held down shift and clicked on credits you got those hillarious quotes from the team. Any secrets planned for Fallout 2?
Matt_IPLY - Well, we already have a burgeoning quote file that you can view the same way, other than that there are hidden quests and areas that won't be available to all PCs
Foltsman - Oh and I just wanted to say that it was a great decision not to include a multiplayer option in Fallout 2. Turn based multiplayer is no good
Meghan - Thanks Foltsman :) (I agree btw)
Matt_IPLY - not good for Fallout 2 anyway
Matt_IPLY - just a comment here
Matt_IPLY - multiplayer is a real buzz-term right now, but you do really have to give some things up to include it, just doing it so that you can write"multiplayer" on the box is a very poor reason to include the option
Matt_IPLY steps down from his soapbox
Nighthavok - What new cities and areas have you added to Fallout 2? Will you die from one lucky shot as you did in Fallout 1? And if i have over 100% on a skill, will i fail at the task? (Lock Pick, Traps)
Matt_IPLY - 15 out of the 18 areas in the game are new
Krys_IPLY - Go, Matt
Matt_IPLY - and the remaining three are the same in name only
Matt_IPLY - things have changed in the 80 years since the first game
Matt_IPLY - it's unlikely that you'll die from one lucky shot in F2, but there are some very powerful weapons and foes in the game
Matt_IPLY - so, you can still get waxed if you're not careful
Nighthavok - you guys do a stellar job...and the intro for fallout 1 was very very cool. I-Play rocks! and your cool for taking time out to chat with us!
Matt_IPLY - you can still fail with a 100% skill because the difficulty of the task is subtracted from your skill level--example: If you try to pick a lock, the lock may be a -40 to pick, so your 100 skill, gives you a 60% chance to pick it
Meghan - Thanks Nighthavok :)
Sulla - I always liked the conventional weapons better in Fallout, I thought the energy weapons were not as fun as the flamethrower and the submachine guns. Will the conventional weapons have a longer "shelf life" in the game? And who did Ron Perlman voice act in Fallout? Killian? Gizmo? Tandi?
Meghan - Killian I think.
Matt_IPLY - I understand, there's a certain visceral thrill to throwing a lot of lead downrange, the smell of the burning cordite, the hot brass
Matt_IPLY - oh my, I need a moment here... ;)
Matt_IPLY - uh, yes, there are a lot more slug-throwers in the game
Krys_IPLY - Take your time, Matt
Sulla - also Arbesh, or whover the leader of Shady Sands was....sounded like the Taco Bell Dog
Matt_IPLY - and a lot more heavy weapons too :)
Meghan - I loved the flamethrower. I laughed myself out of my chair the first time I saw someone run around on fire and then fall down (yes, I'm sick)
Meghan - :)
Matt_IPLY - Ron Perlman's biggest role in F1 was as the narrator at the beginning and end of the game
Sulla - ok thanks
Meghan - Oh, that's right.. it was McGuyver who did Killian :)
Krys_IPLY - Richard Dean Anderson
Meghan - Thanks Sulla :)
HunterT - Is it possible to create a character as powerful as the ones possible in F1(2 aimed shots in 1 turn etc.)? And can you chose more than 7 perks since there are more availiable?
Matt_IPLY - the initial PC creation is exactly the same, we haven't changed the balance at all there
Matt_IPLY - however, since the game is bigger, we anticipate your being able to become much more powerful by game-end than you needed to (or could) in Fallout 1
HunterT - Whoa.
Matt_IPLY - Yes, you can choose more perks, since you can advance more levels--GA
IPASpro - Ok, I got a question for ya. Which warez group will release Fallout 2 on the net first? :o) PDM, Class, Razor or Reflux.. Also, when do plan to release some new screenshots? Im the webmaster of www.rpgnews.com, and I would love to see some..
IPASpro - hehe, I just had to ask :)
Meghan - HAHHAHA
IPASpro - this chat is too serious, you gotta insert a joke here somewhere.
Meghan - Hmmm.. Razor 1911 I bet :)
Meghan - *Maybe* Class but they're slowing down lately.
Matt_IPLY - humor? what is this "humor"? ;)
IPASpro - hehe
IPASpro - Meghan would know ;)
Matt_IPLY - there's a lot of very funny (dark but funny) stuff in Fallout 2
Meghan - Hey, it's my job to know ;)
Krys_IPLY - Email me, and we'll work something out, IPASpro
IPASpro - Krys_IPLY, k
Rakek - i know that there will be diffrent ending that reflect how you played the game. But how many endings are there going to be in total? 2) Will the AI be more real. If you shoot a person in the groin will they be unresonsive for a bit. because in F1 I found that they attack immediatly
Matt_IPLY - well, the ending comes down to saving your people or perishing in the attempt
Matt_IPLY - there are many ways to save your ppl, so in that sense there are different endings
Matt_IPLY - also, the actions that you've taken in each area of the game change the course of that area's future
Matt_IPLY - so, at the very end (similar to F1), we have a number of possible "endings" for each of the towns/settlements in the game
Matt_IPLY - your PC doesn't act in a vaccuum, but in a living world
Matt_IPLY - there are 25-30 different endings in that sense
Matt_IPLY - as far as the crits go, if you hit a person hard enough, they can fall down, or get KO'd
Rakek - ok thanks
Matt_IPLY - Groin shots have a relatively high chance to do that (at least they've always had that effect on me ;) but there's no guarantee--GA
Meghan - Okay thanks Rakek :)
Meghan - Thanks everybody for coming.. Matt has to go make the game now :) I'll set up another chat when we get closer to shipping. |
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