It's gotta have grit, style, and substance.

[Srift]

UPDATE:
I just want to be clear to everyone and the developers. I made this post to simply say we need those "heavy" themes that made Wasteland, Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 so successful and of course everything else that made it successful. I enjoyed those games for its moral choices and survivability matters. For me its all about the story and the world not so much over the top with violence.

Owen said it best:

owenmp » March 18th, 2012, 11:52 am
Seeing fields of skulls and skeletons where each footstep would produce a crunching sound would be cool. Have many buildings with blackened silhouettes of people, the only traces of people vaporized from nuclear explosions.

That's what my point was about. More vision artistically as Fallout 3 felt bare in that regard.

But I didn't mention rape or children stuff. Personally I think that wouldn't add any element to the game. It would be overkill in other words. So lets please try to keep the topic focused on grit, style, and substance with that violence theme that was common in Wasteland, Fallout and Fallout 2. Just my opinion anyways..


Original Post Follows:
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It's gotta have grit, style and substance. Its a wasteland so expect the worst. Maybe have drinking, sex, gambling, etc. Like what the original games had but Fallout 3 dropped which made the game less enjoyable (thanks to Azriel who mentioned that) Managing your companions emotions when they witness violence would be a great feature and add some suspense if they start to distrust you.

As for graphics I am all for 2d animated Sprites to retain that gritty feeling but if you can do that in 3d go for it. Only downside to that is it can come off looking tacky a little bit being a top down view kinda game. I was thinking about Fallout: Tactics and the look of that was great.

The environments should be more varied. Lots of desert of course, but lots of ruined cities, maybe national parks such as the Arizona meteor site. Abandoned airports and military bases. This would include areas where violence did occur, give it a more worn in feeling..would add some atmosphere. Day/night cycle would be cool. Plenty of crazy cool weapons and some experimental ones thrown in. Crazy cannibals (sure they will be there). Some kind of killer robot on treads would be cool..its gotta have killer robots. Maybe the government sent out robots to handle treachery or mass hysteria that caused social unrest..since nuclear bombs going off would cause panic and people stealing from others. Creatures should be related to real world animals but have a few radiated creatures. Rad scorpions definitely. Deformed humans. Maybe some humans that have embraced technology and are somewhat mechanical like. Ability to customize gear and look of your character as well would be a bonus. Some type of hardcore mode where you have to drink water and eat/sleep occasionally would be awesome.

Just some ideas. I could go on and on because of my love for the post-nuclear/apocalypse genre. Everyone feel free to add other suggestions to this 18+ thread.

[Azriel]

All for violence and adult themes.

[geezer]

A bit of tasteful rape as well.

[Quarex]

I am 99% sure you are kidding, Geezer, but other people who say basically the same thing probably would not be.

This discussion is better handled in the bigger mature themes thread, though.

[luckz]

"That much is obvious", to the OP.

[Lexirad]

I'm not loving the rapey themes on the last few threads I've read. What is up with everyone talking about "tasteful rape"? WHAT DOES TASTEFUL RAPE EVEN MEAN?? ::eyeroll::

Came here to say I agree with OP more or less 100%.

[falloutgod13]

I agree as well, but such issues as rape, slavery, and so forth do come to mind when thinking of violence, grit, and adult themes. Obviously those things can't be tasteful, they're gritty, violent, and adult themed.

[Srift]

I am not cool with rape and I don't think it should be in the game either as a player option. I meant more along the lines of having relationships so things adults deal with. Sorta like the original Fallout.

[eternality]

I think rape would probably be a very real threat in a chaotic situation like post apocalyptic world. And who says the player group is the one raping, instead of getting raped.

[Aeschylus]

tasteful rape? wtf... unless they mean being a female pc player and selling your body for lower costs on gun upgrades or cheap ration packs... or to help vic get out of slaver prison...

[Srift]

Ah jeez..I didn't want the thread to go this way... lol

[falloutgod13]

Adult themes *shrug* who knows what else is going to come up in this thread.

[Lexirad]

There's a line between a "gritty, realistic setting" and "help people role-play the worst elements of humanity."

In Fallout 2, sure, it was possible to become a slaver, but it's not like they gave you broad, detailed storylines allowing you to mastermind the systematic and targeted capture of a class or race of people for sinister purposes.

I take the point. If you can walk up to someone and stab them in the face, is raping someone really much more of a leap?

But... yeah, it kind of is. Combat's a pretty well accepted game mechanic and serves a specific in-game purpose: loot and xp. What purpose does rape serve in the in-game setting? Realism? I guess, but... I mean, child molestation happens, but it's not a teenage male power fantasy usually, and I don't see anyone clamoring for that for the sake of realism. :/

I'd kind of prefer that if the game touches on rape scenarios, then it should offer them in the context of third parties. Like you can let the raiders keep their sex-slaves if you're cool with that morally, or you can kill them and rescue them, or maybe even kill them and romance them, but killing them to rape their sex slaves feels like it crosses a line somehow.

Would you want to have to write that dialog?

"Thanks so much for saving us!" "Well, about that..." "..."

[Srift]

Guess I watched a little too much Violence Jack..

[Lexirad]

Who says only female players should be allowed to sell their bodies for drugs or gun upgrades?

Anyone with high charisma could probably make a few bucks... ;)

[Srift]

Does anyone know if Fallout 3 had these themes? I don't remember.

[Azriel]

The rape subject is king of a tough one, I am not in favor of your characters having the option(although it SHOULD be in the game as storyline/situations, this world should be dark and rape is a sad fact of life), BUT I don't want to take options other people want away either. As soon as anyone says, I don't want X because it offends them, then they are no different than any other group that are offended by something(violence, sex, rock and roll, gays..etc).

[Lexirad]

Fallout 3 was actually a lot tamer than Fallout 1/2.

Prostitution and drugs were both more understated than in the previous games, although slavery played a more prominent role.

[Srift]

Azriel : I agree and thats what I originally meant. Having that option for the player in game is a bit too far. In the story though I could be happy knowing I saved a lass from thugs.

[falloutgod13]

Does anyone know if Fallout 3 had these themes? I don't remember.

I don't remember much about themes in it either, I remember guns and explosions. Lot of walking... more shooting. I think there was a story line about saving the world or something. Wait... It's coming back to me now, I think I bought a sex slave girl from some guy named Jones or something. Don't think I actually got the option to sleep with her.