In conversation with Todd Howard, the genius behind Fallout 76



[ad_1]

In the gaming world, many talented people are busy making the most fun games day after day. Some have just started, while others have been working in the industry for over 20 years. One of these veterans is Todd Howard, who is currently working on Fallout 76.

Since the mid-90s, the best man has worked at Bethesda Game Studios and has worked on games like The Elder Scrolls Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim . He was also responsible for Fallout 3 and 4 and many other games. At the annual Gamelab event in Barcelona, ​​he received a great reward for his participation in the games industry. He was only too happy

  Fallout 76

After this ceremony, we have the opportunity to sit down with him and talk about the games that he is doing. Fallout 76 is the new Bethesda game, for which Todd is responsible for much of it. In addition, he is also working on the Elder Scrolls Blade, which should be an Elder Scrolls experience on the smartphone.

Fallout 76 was born from an idea you had for Fallout 4, where you wanted a multiplayer component. add How concrete were these plans at the time?

Todd : This was above all an idea that was on paper. We thought about what we would do if we went multiplayer. So it was not very concrete.

However, when we had the chance to work with BattleCry Studios, which became Bethesda Austin (a studio that has a lot of experience with online games and who has long worked on the BattleCry title, came out) we went to see a prototype. When this prototype worked and we started playing it, we knew it could be a reality

  Fallout 76

BattleCry Studios had been working with BattleCry for a long time. Fallout 76 would it have appeared if BattleCry was finished and would be released?

Todd : I was not involved in the choice to remove the game of course, but when this choice was made, we have fast contact. They first worked on the Doom multiplayer mode, and then started with the plans for Fallout 76.

Was it a hard choice to make a Fallout 76 multiplayer game after being so famous for making Solo games? 19659002] Todd : It was quite difficult. All we have done already could really go too far. You must take into account a world where you have the opportunity to meet other players. From this idea, you have to start building the world by thinking about how the quests unfold, what you do with the enemies, and so on. So everything was different.

It is about facing the tension of another player. What are you doing? Do you make a friendly sign and try to work together? Or do you start filming right away?

  Fallout 76

If you describe it that way, Fallout 76 is almost an experience like the Vaults in the world of Fallout. (FYI, the different vaults in the stories are all used for experiments and to see how people react)

Todd : Yes, you can almost say that Vault 76 is a safe from Control and play is an experience about how players interact with each other.

One of the things you brought out during the revelation of Fallout 76 is that the map is four times larger than Fallout 4. But what does it mean? only for the content available?

Todd : You will not get four times more content. There is more content, but it is more divided. We have done this to give more space to the players, so that you are not on the lip of the other. In addition, the game takes place in West Virginia and there are many mountains, we also wanted to make room.

  Fallout 76

West Virgina is not really a place that is not touched by the history of nuclear weapons. Is the world greener than other games in the series?

Todd : Yes, we wanted to give the player the impression that he is entering a new world. There are places that are genuked, but not as much as with other games.

Is there a main quest like in previous games, which runs through the game like a thread?

Todd : Yes, there are some. It revolves around Scorch Beasts. These are kind of big bats that fly around and infect the world. It's up to you to decide how you handle it.

If you had fun with the old Fallout games, but you do not have a lot of games online, is it still a game for you?

Todd : Of course, I can speak for everyone. But I think Fallout 76 will be a game where fans will see a lot of typical Fallout stuff. If you like to discover, improve the system of your character and you can always see things on your radar and then go there.

It has a familiar mechanics, but it's just a little different.

  Fallout 76

How does it work with other players in the game?

Todd : It works a bit like a seller. You can select the items you want to trade or sell. And there you can hang prices. And then the other player can decide if he wants to buy it

Can you easily join other unknown players and do quests together?

Todd : Yes. You can see in the world via a menu that is on this server and where they are located. Then you can ask to join. But the players sometimes shoot at each other too.

Why would you attack other players? What is the benefit?

Todd : It's kind of a challenge. It must be satisfying to defeat the other. If someone shoots you, you will be notified that a certain player appears to you and you will see some sort of reward that you will get when you decide to attack again.

  Fallout 76

Is there still a VATS system? (This is the system where you can slow down the time and choose the body part you want to shoot on)

Todd : Yes, that's it, but it's now in real time. It works the same way, but it's going faster now.

What is the expectation of you from the beta? Is this something you can learn or is it just a tool for raising pre-orders?

Todd : The pre-order appearance of the beta has two elements. On the one hand, you can ensure that good players can participate via access via pre-order. On the other hand, it's a nice reward for fans who trust us.

And the beta is also intended to solve errors. Maybe these problems are not corrected right out of the game, but soon after. We expect that we will have some problems during the launch because this has almost all online games. However, we are ready to attack the problems

  Fallout 76

Concerning the end of the game. I understand that you can launch nuclear weapons and that this area then becomes a so-called high-end zone, where you encounter special gear, weapons and enemies. Is it the only one?

Todd : There is more. Nuclear weapons are part of the main quest and when they are in a certain area, it is only a few hours of time. There are even more high profile events, but let's talk about it for a moment.

You have been working for the same company for over twenty years. What gives you satisfaction

Todd : This is a mix between the people I work with and the fact that I can work on beautiful games. In addition, as part of Zenimax Studios, Bethesda is a company that is not publicly traded, which gives me a lot of freedom.

When we think of a game, chances are we can do it. We also make big games, where every developer contributes and has responsibility. In this way, you can also be proud of what you have brought.

You have seen Bethesda grow in the business for over twenty years. Previously, you made a game in about four years, now you pump several games a year. How does it feel?

Todd : I was there when twenty people were working. Now, there are about 1700 people working in all the different studios. Despite being so great, employees can still enjoy a lot of freedom. I think we are now the biggest independent developer.

Then talk about Elder Scrolls Blades. I like to play games on my smartphone, but the games make my phone so hot, so it's really unpleasant.

Todd : We will try to optimize the game as best as possible, so that he works on several models. However, I think it will be a game that requires a lot of your smartphone, so it will have an impact.

After the launch, we will try to optimize everything, so this makes it less attractive for your battery.

The fight of the game, is it a bit like the Infinity Blade?

Todd : The combat system of Elder Scrolls Blades is more active. Your sword follows your finger as you slide on the screen. Timing is very important to work effectively. This is not what has taken the most time. We think everyone will have it in a few minutes, but after that, it should be nice to do it if you have played it for several hours. I think we manage each other well.

How do the Blades feel about bringing a game Elder Scrolls to the smartphone? Is it a "favorite project?"

Todd : I always wondered why there was no RPG Dungeon on the phone. There are some, but none of them looks good, has depth and plays well. So with that in mind, we started making this game. We play the most games we do for ourselves. And with a game like this, we have the opportunity to introduce many players to the series. For example, Fallout Shelter was downloaded by 120 million users

I am very happy and I can not wait to be published.

Elder Scrolls Blades is a free game and I understand that you, as a developer, have money wants to win. But how are you doing that?

Todd: There are many ways to set up a good free-to-play system today. With Fallout Shelter, we have put in place a lighting system, in which you can let things go faster when you pay. You can still keep playing in Elder Scrolls Blades, you never have to wait for anything.

One of the elements we are monetizing now is loot. The best shoot can be found in special boxes. These boxes have a timer. When it is zero, you can open the box. If you want to do this properly, you can pay for it. However, you can continue playing while the timer is in the background.

Thank you for your time and success in developing your games.

Fallout 76 will be released on November 14 and will appear on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Want to know more about games? Take a look at our overview here

[ad_2]
Source link