Thursday

Fallout: New Vegas - Back to the Wasteland, Mojave-Style



Bethesda Softworks' 2008 release Fallout 3 was met with critical acclaim by critics and the gaming community alike. The novel mix of action-adventure and role playing has been attempted by many other titles over the years, but Fallout 3's incredibly compelling story, sweeping scale, and painstaking attention to detail elevate it to the status of masterpiece. In 2011, the Maryland-based company seeks to re-capture lightning in a bottle with Fallout: New Vegas (FNV).



FNV is not a sequel in the true sense of the word. While events depicted in FO3 most definitely factor into the world of FNV, you play a different character with different motivations than the Wanderer in Bethesda’s previous title. The game begins with the protagonist (The Courier) recovering from a near-fatal wound, with the goal to ultimately confront those responsible. The game interface and mechanics are identical to FO3 is pretty much every way, with a few minor changes in order to provide game balance, largely transparent to the player. The graphics engine and thus look and feel of both FO3 and FNV are completely identical. In fact, the similarities between the two games may prompt many to be disappointed by the apparent lack of progress from one title to the next. This is a legitimate observation, since even though FNV does offer a few more bells and whistles, it in many ways feels more like an expansion pack than a completely new title.


FNV does a lot of things to up the ante (pun intended) on the difficulty level from FO3. While the level cap has increased from 20 to 30, perks are only granted every other level and often have increased skill and stat requirements. This means that cookie cutter builds are much harder to make, and some level of specialization and planning is required for various character types to be optimally effective. Several adjustments have been made to available perks and skill bonuses, resulting in less skill points to spend. Again, the intent is to avoid “super-characters” and promote more unique characters (ergo, like classic RPG classes). This, in turn, increases reliance on companion characters and NPCs for combat or support skills, depending on the player character’s loadout. In practice, this is refreshing because it forces more of a role-playing feel rather than the player character being able to do pretty much anything himself.


Combat at low-mid levels seems more challenging than in FO3. VATS has seemingly been reduced in effectiveness, and many all-powerful items (ergo, the plasma gun) nerfed. While a bit frustrating at first, it forces many fights to be avoided until later in level – or, at the least, promotes planning to achieve an advantageous position before attacking. Changes to weapon and armor stats encourage strategic decision-making when choosing weapons and ammo for particular opponents rather than just rushing in with the same favored weapon every time. Again, while this does make things a bit more challenging, it also makes it much more realistic. Still, after reaching level 20 with any kind of emphasis on weapon and repair skills, the PC is still lethal in the extreme in almost any combat situation.


Combat does have some additional layers to it that also mix things up from FO3. Poison has been introduced to the game on both sides of the table. The usual enemy suspects sport venom with devastating effect. Opponents using poison are rightly feared, and anti-venom becomes a commodity far more valuable than its sticker price. A new skill, Survival, allows for the crafting of various food items, buffs, and – you guessed it – poisons. A PC using powerful poisons can be just as lethal as a Giant Radscorpion. Yes, really.


Other changes to combat include weapon upgrades, variant ammunition, and perhaps most importantly, “damage threshold” (DT), which made appearances in both FO1 and 2 but was left out of FO3. In FO3, armor and buff effectiveness was reflected in terms of “damage resistance” (DR). For example, DR 50 meant you took 50% less damage from any given attack. DT acts in addition to DR, providing a barrier to taking damage in the first place, after which the DR kicks in. DT will never reduce damage taken to less than 20% of any weapons starting damage, but it means that armor is a much bigger deal against light weapons than it was before.




Example FO3
DR25 against a 100dmg attack gives you 25% resistance for 75 net dmg.
DR25 against a 32dmg attack gives you 25% resistance for 24 net dmg.
Example FNV
DR25 against 100dmg reduces the first 25 damage for 75 net dmg.
But DR25 against 32dmg attack reduces the first 25 damage for only 7 dmg! As you can see, heavy armor in FNV is great against smaller arms – which it should be!


Another new feature in FNV is “Hardcore Mode”. In this mode, food consumption, hydration, and sleep are required and ammunition counts against your weight limit. While these may not sound like major issues, the need to factor all of these in – especially since they do get factored into fast travel – is daunting. For those who seek a more visceral, realistic wasteland experience, this mode is for you.


Finally, factions come into play in FNV. Both settlements and organizations (military, gang, etc) have independent though often polar opposite philosophies. At the start of the game, everyone is neutral to the PC. During the course of the game, your actions and allegiances will not only alter the reactions of various groups, but change mission options in very significant ways. Some groups may come to regard you as a hero, with deep discounts or gifts, additional mission options, and offers for companions to join you. Others may attack on sight if you near their settlements, and even send assassins to track you down if you’ve made a bad impression. Some groups, such as the Brotherhood of Steel, are familiar, but major and minor factions have significant impact on the environment and game as well. The PC will often find themselves in the middle of two groups, and have to decide how to approach problems – picking a side, favoring neither, or pitting the two against each other all being viable options.


On a technical note, the stability of FNV is occasionally suspect, as bugs do come up. While the game only crashed twice during review, numerous minor issues such as the PC or creatures being hung up in terrain, oddly floating in mid-air or minor quest bugs are indeed present on the PC version. One can only hope that Bethesda will address in a patch at some point in the near future. Regardless, for those who bravely navigated through Fallout 3's minor issues and saw the balance of the game's positives outweigh the minor bugs, the issues in FNV are nuisance on very much the same scale.


Overall, everything fans loved about FO3 is still present in FNV. The world is still huge, wide open, and you can tackle it in any way you want. If you want to crank through the main story in 20 hrs and explore nothing, you can do that. If you want to obsessively and painstakingly explore every corner, complete every mission, and not rest until your character has reached demi-god status over 100+ hours, yes, you can do that too. Side quests and plots, though often interesting and featuring good voice acting, can admittedly become repetitive and tedious. As mentioned before, many things have been added, from skill magazines, to new ammo loading and crafting stations, to new weapon types. But, even as an admitted fan of the series, it must be conceded at the end of the day, that for better or worse, this really is just more of the same. For anyone who was not a fan of FO3 after having played it, this “more of the same” feeling will leave you wanting more and might be disappointing. However, if as this author, you completed FO3 wishing there were more to see and do, this title is for you. There are enough subtle differences, areas to explore, and new weapons, creatures, and nuances to the game to make it a must-play title for any fan of the RPG/adventure series such as Fallout 3.



Article by: John  F. Beaty II
Images (C): Bethesda Softworks

Saturday

BOARD GAME REVIEW: Shadows of Camelot


Table Friendly: 6/10 (3 player minimum, 5-7 recommended)
Accessible for Ages: 10+
Play Time: 2-3 Hours
Complexity: 8/10
Repeat Playability: 7/10
Quality: 8/10

Overall: 8/10   


In the world of board games, a notable variant has emerged in the last several years with much fanfare in the gaming community. In principle, these are cooperative games, which pit the assembled players against the game itself. An example of this type of game is exemplified beautifully in Fantasy Flight Games' 2008 release "Battlestar Galactica", which seeks to represent the struggle of mankind against Cylons as re-imagined in the award-winning Sci-Fi Channel series of the same name. All the while, hidden agents among the players themselves seek to undermine the collaborative efforts of the human players.

Days of Wonder, publisher of the well known "Smallworld", paved the path to games such as Battlestar Galactica (BSG) with its 2005 offering "Shadows over Camelot" (SoC). In this game, 3-7 players assume the roles of the Arthurian Knights of the round table as they seek to defeat their opponents, defend Camelot, and win glory for their cause. As with BSG, players must work closely together to achieve their goals while being threatened by a traitor within their midst. This unique blend of challenges makes for an exciting game with several different outcomes.




As the game begins, the Knights are assembled at the round table and must quickly decide on a strategy. Each must decide which task they will take up, with a handful of White Cards to aid in the decision-making process. From the sea, Camelot must watch for invading Saxons. From the forest comes the threat of Pict attacks. Challenges to the throne can cause Camelot to come under siege, and if the number of war machines massing around the great castle number too many, the Knights are defeated. Each Knight also has unique abilities, which also come into play when deciding on a course of action.




In addition to military threats, there are quests which may be undertaken with great reward. Knights may seek out Lancelot's armor, the famed sword Excalibur, or the legendary Holy Grail, all with powerful abilities. Other challenges face the Knights as well, with some having to be faced alone, while others can be tackled by multiple Knights at once. The key is for Knights to balance their resources in the form of White cards and abilities on the right tasks at the right time. As challenges are met and foes are bested, the Knights accumulate White Swords on the round table. When these blades reach a certain number, the Knights are victorious.




Though valiant, the Knights' efforts do not go uncontested. The forces of darkness seek to undermine the Knights and cause their efforts to unravel. On every turn, before the players are allowed to conduct heroic actions and play White Cards, evil first takes an action. This will either cause direct harm to a Knight, cause the military buildup around Camelot to grow, or force a Black card to be drawn. Black cards work to undo the efforts of the Knights in achieving their various goals, and even unleash the power of the dread Morgan le Fay, Vivian, and Mordred. But the greatest threat to Camelot is the traitor among the Knights. Until revealed, the traitor can undermine quests and challenges with hidden card plays. After the midpoint of the game, when they can be revealed, the traitor can adversely affect the Knights' efforts in much more significant ways, even drawing multiple Black cards and choosing the more damaging of the two to put into effect. As the Knight's efforts fail, Black swords are placed on the round table, and should they ever represent a majority of the allowable swords on the table, all is lost for the loyal Knights.




While the overall complexity and variety of outcomes in SoC pales in comparison to its newer, more refined cousin BSG, there is most assuredly a place for the Days of Wonder title on the table. SoC plays faster, is easier to pick up, and is therefore more accessible to a greater range of players than BSG. The game itself is well crafted, with a nice looking board and better than average components. The basic rules are very straightforward, but the strategies of the game and traitor factor are what make this title stand out. Playable in ~2 hours, this title is definitely recommended.


Article by: John  F. Beaty II
Images (C): Days of Wonder