Interview Todd Howard Interview @ Eurogamer

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Fallout: New Vegas

<p>Eurogamer <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-08-16-bethesdas-todd-howard-interview" target="_blank">caught up with Bethesda's Todd Howard</a> and his dry sense of humour and quizzed him about the Elder Scrolls, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and ladders.</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="interviewQuestion"><strong><span class="whoistalking">Eurogamer</span>: You mentioned earlier that for a game to come to Bethesda it needs to be a certain fit. What would you say the philosophy of a Bethesda game is?</strong></p>
<p class="interviewAnswer"><span class="whoistalking">Todd Howard</span>: Phew! That's a good question. We know it when we see it. I know for the internal studio, but in general if it's going to be on the label it is going to hit the action-adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, it's got something cool about it.</p>
<p>Doing a game for the core gamer, it's going to be in those kind of genres.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>thanks Alexandros!</em></p>

 

[Xor]

Business as usual. "We make games for the 13-18 male demographic".

 

[tunguska]

Todd Howard is so good at saying a lot while still saying absolutely nothing. Zenimax is such a great example of all that is wrong with our world.

 

[Archaeon]

There's some serious bullshit in that interview... plus talking about Fallout like he knows anything about it...

 

[Morkar Left]

it is going to hit the action-adventure

At least he´s honest now.

 

[Luzur]

something cool

yep, thats Todd alright.

 

[SharkClub]

core gamer

Sure thing Todd, like you even know what that means.

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

core gamer

Sure thing Todd, like you even know what that means.

Actually, I'm befuddled by the term as much as Todd. Would anyone enlighten us both?
I'd assume it's something like the main paying fanbase of a franchise. But in Bethesda's case, that'd be a juvenile one-hand peruser of the furry/tranny nude/copulation mods, so that's probably not it... right?

 

[zeitgeist]

Actually, I'm befuddled by the term as much as Todd. Would anyone enlighten us both?
I'd assume it's something like the main paying fanbase of a franchise. But in Bethesda's case, that'd be a juvenile one-hand peruser of the furry/tranny nude/copulation mods, so that's probably not it... right?

Core gamer is a somewhat recent industry buzzword that more or less denotes a person who's a long-term customer - basically the easiest cow to milk over and over again, as opposed to the casual gamer who has a more fleeting attention span and needs some catering to in order to become a core gamer.

Both buzzwords/concepts and the way they're used not only in PR statements but also in company mission statements, as well as the mindsets of game players who self-identify as one or the other are a pretty good indicator of what's wrong with the industry.

 

[Freelance Henchman]

 

[Achilles]

core gamer

Sure thing Todd, like you even know what that means.

Actually, I'm befuddled by the term as much as Todd. Would anyone enlighten us both?
I'd assume it's something like the main paying fanbase of a franchise. But in Bethesda's case, that'd be a juvenile one-hand peruser of the furry/tranny nude/copulation mods, so that's probably not it... right?

The 'core gamer' is the guy who likes to fool himself into thinking that he's a real gamer because he plays 'proper games' like Gears of War and not 'casual games' like Wii sports. It's a synonym for consoletard basically.

 

[Azrael the cat]

In fairness, wasn't he using the term 'core gamer' to differentiate substantial PC/console games from facebook and phone games?

It's actually not a bad interview - for all Beth's failings, Todd is a much better interview subject than Hines. There's no point reading a Hines interview - he's always going to just be selling the game in the most obvious way possible, saying how brilliant it is in every conceivable area. Todd has always struck me as having a genuine passion for games - he just doesn't succeed very well at turning that into a decent game. I can believe him when he rates Ultima 7 as the greatest game ever, and can see where he's trying to emulate it - he just doesn't actually succeed at doing so. Or perhaps he's not overly interested in turning into great games - but from this end I don't think I could tell for certain that the design-wrecking 'rule of cool' isn't just incompetent design rather than a deliberate attempt to 'dumb down' the game.

Points worth noting from that interview - he volunteers that Beth's biggest weaknesses are animation, AI, NPC dialogue and behaviour. Very odd comparing that to the hyping of 'radiant AI" when Bethesda is in sell mode. Also odd that Bethesda doesn't seem to realise how little credibility a guy like Hines has when he goes out and says 'Oblivion has my favourite story' and tries to sell their games as faultless (yes, even though the gaming journos seem to buy into it), as opposed to selecting a narrower range of strong points to hype that aren't going to become laughable after release. Even the mainstream gaming forums remember that Oblivion archer and dog video.

I think the main think to take from his comments is to ask: what kind of crpg studio would allow NPC dialogue and AI/behaviour to be their weakest points (animation is forgiveable)? It basically guarantees that the game isn't going to be great for the storywhores (myself included) or even those who just want good combat. Basically the guy is saying that they can make worlds but they can't make characters - whether those characters are talking, moving or fighting. That's pretty much conceding that you're doing a hiking sim, though perhaps an excellent one in Morrowind's case once you include all the 'unmarked' quests.

Again though, it always surprises me how much less irritating Todd is in interviews compared to Hines, or even compared to playing Bethesda's games.

 

[Achilles]

In fairness, wasn't he using the term 'core gamer' to differentiate substantial PC/console games from facebook and phone games

Well yes, but that's the funny part. In his mind, games like Gears of War and Fable are considered hardcore.