When the Filmmakers Actually Understand the Gameplay

[@LikeStoriesofOld]

What did you think of the new Fallout show? And what video game adaptation are you looking forward to the most?

[@pabungus]

I honestly didn’t think it was that great, lots of issues with the plot, the big twist is baffling dumb, and I never though Lucy’s arc was all that well done. As for the second question, I’m really looking forward to the Philippou brother’s Street Fighter movie, that’s gonna be awesome.

[@savagesentiment6243]

Naruto would be cool! Condense it by cutting a lot of the filler, focus on the intensity and intimacy with the combat. You know that surge of dopamine you get when a particularly complex set of ninjutsu is weaved by the ninja to culminate in their win? Focusing on the intense, by a hair's breadth, life and death combat without monologues would elevate the anime to it's next level. A.I. help will allow actors to do believable feats of strength and agility without ever having to leave their home.

[@dethkon]

I enjoyed it so far, But I’m already a loyal fan of the series and of the genre. I first played the original Interplay games in the early 2000s, when I was still in high school.

[@robertjohn6585]

It's awful just like fallout 4 and 76, the only half-decent fallout game Bethesda ever made was fallout 3 and even that had huge problems. All of Bethesda's games have massively declined in quality since Emil Pagliarulo became head writer for Bethesda and that same terrible writing has infected the tv show and then you have Todd Howard directly involed who is clearly BIG envious of the original fallout series and ESPECIALLY New Vegas which was made very clear because he took every possible opportunity to shit on new vegas and OG fallout lore in this show! I mean hell, he blew up the NCR because 1) todds salty af that 1, 2 & new vegas are loved WAY more than any of the 'fallout' games he's made and 2) because Emil can't write to save his damn life so a completely desolate wastland is a lot easier for emil's 12yr old writing ability to work with rather than a post apocalyptic world that's back on it's feet again and rebuilding because god forbid that man has to rub some brain cells together and come up with actual creative storytelling... if you like this show you dont like fallout, if you like Bethesda's fan-fiction 'fallout' games then you don't like fallout, simple as. Fuck Bethesda and fuck this garbage show.

[@jarrellfamily1422]

My favorite video game adaptation is the Netflix castlevania series the scene with the defeat of the priest in the season 1 finale is one of my favorite scenes in any piece of media

[@Dad......]

Lucy is you as a first time player, fresh out the vault with no idea about what the world is and how it works. Maximus is your second playthrough character, where you make the risky choices and bend your morality a bit here and there to get what you want. The Ghoul is you after 2000 hours. Know all the tricks, tips, and the ins and outs of every faction. You'd have to really be having an off day for an interaction to not go your way.

[@BlaireSnorlax]

You drive that thing like a fuckin' shopping cart.

[@ccolivardia]

Ghoul is New Game+

[@GodwynDi]

I'm you, just give it a few years.

[@levievil9220]

I totally see that plus it gives the characters a good dynamic especially since the players are usually nicer to newbies as long as they aren’t to toxic

[@Dad......]

@@levievil9220 Lol 98% of my fallout experience was solo single player games, not 76, so I was the only noob, and eventually the only old pro. It was a kind of nice feeling. Going from the only guy who doesn't know what's going on to being the only one who knows exactly what's going on and being nigh untouchable.

[@Dreoni_]

For me it was the encounter with the guy who drank all her water that made me think "this is definitely a side NPC dialogue/interaction"

[@sithtalker]

I also think that was about the bug that was present in Fallout 76 with the player models 😅

[@UNSCPILOT]

It's totally accurate to how we tend to eat/drink in the games, aggressive chugging/wolfing things down quickly even mid fight XD

[@YaroslaffFedin]

Also his walking style was based on “loser” animation from f1

[@IceFire1800]

The guy offering Lucy his house, "all this could be yours! ...you won't even have to wait long, I'll probably be dead soon!" really captured the Fallout vibe The bridge crossing later in season 1 though, where it's suspicious as hell and no one is honest is such a small yet tense moment that beautifully captured a moment that could totally happen in the Fallout games

[@firewalldaprotogen]

or picking a dialogue option that doesnt do exactly what you thought it would do "sure you can have a sip of water" *npc drinks every drop* well ok then i guess

[@warandconquest6522]

For me the moment in Fallout where I felt like I was in the game was when they are wandering through 32 trying to figure out what happened. It perfectly captured the feeling of finding an abandoned vault with nothing but skeletons and terminal entries

[@umokwhy2830]

And the hacking minigame, I saw that and was absolutely giddy to seeing it

[@VeggieManUK]

@@umokwhy2830 I actually whooped at that point, though I was hoping for the 3 tries and restart hack, that would have been the icing on the cake.

[@umokwhy2830]

@@VeggieManUK "shit I messed up hold on let me reboot" That would have been too awesome

[@AverageJ03Gaming]

​@VeggieManUK knowing the character doing the hacking at that point it would have been better if he did the dummy code and refreshing tries from the hidden code strings in the hacks, spoofing his way to victory real quick

[@jaydeleon8094]

@@VeggieManUK didn't use the command for a free try?

[@JoeNoshow27]

I remember when the ghoul started dunking Lucy in the water, I began thinking, "this is silly, torture doesn't work", and then he immediately started talking about studies showing the ineffectiveness of torture before revealing he was _actually_ using Lucy as bait... I couldn't get over how cathartic the writing in that scene was.

[@allocater2]

Similar cathartic was the scene where the plot-twist of the big scary vault 4 was... that they were good. After so many cliché "they are bad" it was so refreshing to finally have someone not be bad.

[@DoctorHAXXX]

And totally something I would do in game.... Like I would hands down use NPCs as bait if I got the option.

[@Gillsing]

I knew that he was using Lucy as bait. I just wasn't sure why he had to almost drown her to do so. I guess he's just a mean old man.

[@RedwoodTheElf]

@@Gillsing New Nickname for the ghoul: Mean Mister Mustard.

[@TheNinthGeneration1]

@@Gillsinghe was hunting an aquatic animal that probably hunts via sound waves

[@helenakausch1102]

I don't know if this is a good comparison: But as someone who plays DND, I was realy pleasently surprised by the Dungeons and Dragons (Honor among Thieves) movie. Sure it wasn't deep or epic cinema, but it wasn't trying to be and therefore captured the feeling of playing the game, because most groups DON'T play it super seriously. I went into the movie not expecting much, but it was actually pretty entertaining and it gave me the impression that it was actually made by people who like the game

[@Slewedleo]

Glad to know other people had the same experience! I went to see it with my D&D group with literally 0 expectations and we were all pleasantly surprised at how fun it was.

[@helenakausch1102]

@@Slewedleo Same😂

[@hartthorn]

It definitely captured that feel of a gaggle of moderately competent morons just barely making it through by sheer audacity. It even ALTERED some stuff from the game in order to present a better story. I've talked with my other DnD friends about how they never had the Druid or the Bard casting any SPELL spells, because if they did it would have spoiled the Sorcerer's storyline. So they just let those two be awesome in different ways so the Sorcerer could have their own spotlight.

[@AlmightyRawks]

Fully agreed, you get the whole 'why should we be in a party' thing, you can see literal crits and fails happen, and sometimes the group just takes the most roundabout, complicated and over-the-top route to achieve a goal. Very enjoyable movie, reflecting the sentiments of real D&D sessions :)

[@kripposoft]

Totally agree. It didn't feel like a "fantasy movie" but it felt like a GREAT "D&D movie"; which was hard to describe to my friends who didn't have any experience playing TTRPGs.

[@BenjamenMcCauley]

When Max shoots the Yao Guai, it’s like he had a crit shot banked. When Lucy tries to deescalate the Ghoul in Filly it feels like she failed her speech check. When Cooper leaves the dog behind when he picks up Lucy because in the games you can only have one companion at a time. It’s just great, they really do feel like moments from the when I played.

[@Clos93]

Well in Fallout 3 you can have dogmeat plus any companion. And in FNV you can have Rex plus any companion. You were originally supposed to be able to do the same in FO4, but it's cut content. There's actually voice lines for it. You can restore the feature with a mod.

[@redhakiim789]

@@Clos93 Yep, if you have modded multiple follower in Fallout 4 you will hear the Vault 81 security mentioned "But ma'am, what about his/her friend and the dog?". Giving the impression the devs do plan to implement having both dogmeat and one companion until final release was cut.

[@galadballcrusher8182]

"in the games" you can have multiple companions, this crap about restricted to one is said only by people who came ro the series on third game. 1 and 2 allowed more and in fallout tactics u play a team of Brotherhood of Steel operatives and u can compose it of humans , synthetics, mutants, Ghouls, Deathclaws, etc.

[@BenjamenMcCauley]

@@galadballcrusher8182 you okay buddy? You know you don’t have to be a purist to enjoy a franchise right? Are you mad because the people who like what you like don’t like it in the same way that you do? I’m sorry if my statement bothered you but I don’t appreciate being gate kept. I grew up poor. We didn’t have a computer to play the original games. I was introduced to the franchise later in life but that doesn’t make my or anyone else’s experience with the games wrong or less just because we haven’t played every entry. I’m glad you know so much about fallout. We need people in the community who are passionate but please don’t attack others for loving the game differently than you do. Thanks.

[@galadballcrusher8182]

@@BenjamenMcCauley for your info, i played several games coming half way through the franchise but made sure to play the previous ones too, my comment is based on some mentions i had by some people in some comments on fallout tv series reactions who very often mention 3 and 4 but actually diss the older ones because the graphics feel more antiquated to them. And imho 3 and 4 while looking more interactive or realistic in fps mode they loose aspects of the more tactical approach you can have in isometric. But see unlike 3 and 4 in 1 and 2 could have couple of companions and in Fallout Tactics a full fledged squad which made the game so much more tactical like when u resolve a hostage situation and use couple of your guys going mid range with auto rifles and a very good melee + shotguns guy with good stealth creep real close and at the point action starts shoot with the sniper the one with the detonator for the explosives while the rest take care of the ones heading closer to hostages and the melee + shotgun guy gets up behind a coverage defensive position the hostagetakers set up and keeps hostages safe.reminds me if the tactical aspect of games like the ufo series.

[@lukeskywalket2894]

Honestly, I noticed it right away in the combat. If you were an onlooker, spectating a fight between an NPC and a player with VATS, this is what it would look like. Both sides trading fire - like on the bridge, when Maximus gets shot before he can fire on the second person, or in Filly, when Howard shot the gun out of Max's hand, but only after Max had gotten a few shots off. It's adapting _gameplay_ elements that imo really made it feel like a game adaptation. And "Thou shalt be sidetracked by bullshit every goddamn time"

[@bonafide4874]

It's funny as well because I don't even PLAY Fallout, however, I cackled at this line because I play Kenshi and RimWorld, and this type of thing also seems to happen as well haha! Especially in Kenshi. Honestly, this video showed me how similar Fallout is to Kenshi and RimWorld, so I feel like I'll have to give it a go!

[@StefanFlyer]

Some shots are literally VATS moments when camera follow bullets and how they reach and kill enemies.

[@eps3154]

Oh my gosh, when he said that I literally laughed out loud! Always get distracted from the main quest 😂😂😂. It was perfect!!

[@Tamisday]

For me it was the moment where the power armor got left behind outside a vault. Every time I find some abandoned power armor in the games, I search the area for clues as to the story behind how the armor got abandoned. It was cool to witness one of those story moments in action.

[@PointingFinger]

All I saw was another set of power armour that was just begging to be added to my collection. It even has a unique "paintjob" with those claw marks! I NEED IT

[@ItzPubby]

Never once saw a power armor have jets in them in the game, im not sure they know what they are doing.

[@karlkoskie2891]

The power armor is almost just dropped in the game as random loot with no extra world building involved. If theyre smart, it might be in an military base or convoy at best

[@cheifareno4924]

@@ItzPubby jet pack is an option in 4

[@awkwardbirb5710]

I remember watching this and even like minute one of when Lucy is introducing herself, as well as listing her traits and hobbies, I was thinking "Ah, we're at the character creation screen. Neat!" I've only managed to watch the whole series once, but it's absolutely clear this was made with a lot of love for not just the setting of Fallout itself, but even the games themselves.

[@karlkoskie2891]

Watch it again. Now that you know the twist. Now that you know about vault 31, moldavers plan, and hank mcclains actions. The whole story falls apart. Its honestly terrible

[@AHHHHHHHH21]

​​@@karlkoskie2891local man discovers plot twist, panic follows

[@tomemeornottomeme1864]

@@karlkoskie2891 You might genuinely be an idiot, I am so sorry.

[@MistorDi]

@@karlkoskie2891 So, basically, just like story of every Bethesda's Fallout game… Another point into faithfulness of adaptation.

[@hengineer]

Then there is the unspeciried 4th main character, Norm. The only other character whose perspective is followed.

[@hengineer]

I will say it tries to be anti capitalist, when it's really anti corporo-fascist. Its funny how the wasteland is actually very free market capitalist.

[@nbucwa6621]

@@hengineer are you saying that the wasteland is considered the standard for what the rest of the world should aspire to?

[@mikitz]

@@hengineer The wasteland is practically in a state of anarchy and in anarchy, the only possible economic system is a free market.

[@allocater2]

@@mikitz or in anarchy you can just steal and kill, which is not a free market and a free market can only exist under the stewardship and protection of a government.

[@interstellardave]

@@hengineerThank you! Someone who understands what capitalism actually is, and isn’t.

[@MorriganAtwood]

My favorite (theory only, nobody confirmed this) small gameplay translation: Lucy aiming her gun the entire time she is very nicely asking a rando for directions because sometimes it takes a while for the player to figure out how to put their gun away once it's out. So much of your initial gameplay involves just walking up to someone to have a conversation and just pointing a whole weapon at them the entire time. Because the game never tells you that holding a certain button a little longer makes your character put it away. You have to figure that out on your own eventually (or just never, that also works.)

[@odinlindeberg4624]

If Lucy ever happened to accidentally squeeze off a near-headshot when someone talks to her for too long, that would be an accurate depiction of me learning to take the right hand off the mouse and use the enter button instead.

[@targe762]

I felt that for the first time in ep. 2 when the Ghoul starts shooting up Filly. It went into slow motion and he started tracking targets and setting up his shots - Exactly like he had just started the VATS targetting system in Fallout 4. It was so strong I think I made the distinct VATS sound in my head 😂

[@foxinabox5103]

My fave part has gotta be the one where the "quest completed" jingle plays after lucy's "examination"

[@TheAmazingKoki]

One thing that's a big part of Fallout's qualia for me is the use of music. Fallout has many scenes where they use the games' music while showing the characters wandering around in the wasteland. This captures the exploration aspect of the games, and firmly establishes the core of the games theming for me: the juxtaposition of 50s optimism and the end of the world. You have the musically nostalgic and comforting sounds of Bing Crosby or the Ink Spots, singing their songs of longing while seeing the images of a lost world. This is exactly what you experience in the game when you move around the wasteland, and this is also what you describe the last of us is missing, the area in between where you actually end up spending the most time. To me it works even better in the series than in the games. The scene that you describe where Lucy leaves the super duper mart definitely made it click for me as well. But for me the show already captured the feeling of the games in the start of the second episode, where you see Lucy exploring the wide an dead remains of Los Angeles to the tune of "don't fence me in".

[@michaelpacinus242]

Just say quality, that shit is lame

[@johnnygreenface]

​@@michaelpacinus242 cry

[@michaelpacinus242]

@@johnnygreenface you realize you’re the one crying because I bullied you and your friends, right?

[@johnnygreenface]

@@michaelpacinus242 when was I bullied?

[@michaelpacinus242]

@@johnnygreenface when you sided with the nerds on the matter of saying “qualia”

[@mastpg]

"They're doomed, you know." "Yes. But... a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts."

[@takeuchi5760]

when was this said?

[@j.f.fisher5318]

you could even say "flowers are only flowers because they fall; thankfully, the wind." ;)

[@Nineteen1900Hundred]

@@takeuchi5760 It's a quote from Age of Ultron, Vision talking to the last Ultron.

[@bigideasthescholar]

This show isn’t beautiful. It’s very ugly. I mean some of the visual and audio effects are nice but it’s a terribly written show.

[@mastpg]

@@bigideasthescholar Am I expected to be the first person to care for your opinion?

[@elainaswanson4364]

We are finally getting video game adaptations made by people who actually play the games, the difference is so stark

[@InlandDiscoEmpire]

The cope...

[@rossnorris2351]

Maybe not have played but at least they care about the game, the subject matter

[@8bitarmory846]

@@InlandDiscoEmpire do you have a point to make, or is this just "TV show bad"

[@Rayos_Catodicos]

I almost makes you wonder how the hell they fucked the Halo Series so much.

[@xfrobie9773]

@@Rayos_Catodicos Never forget that we could have had Niel Blomkamp directing a Halo movie along with Peter Jackson fresh out of LotR and Weta Workshops doing all the props and environments, but FOX was holding the IP and cancelled the whole thing because they didn't care about anything to do with sci-fi. We don't even have to speculate all that much on how good it could have been, just look at Halo: Landfall and District 9 to see what they did with the leftovers.

[@IcarusHollow]

the moment I realized the showrunners understood the source was the start of episode 2 [i think]. lucy is exploring the desert and comes along the house with the corpses of the family. No words are needed and everything is told you from the set once she picks up the bottle reading "vault-tec plan D". That's the visual storytelling that I really loved about the games and really captures the show-don't-tell mantra. I of course had my complaints or gripes about the show but overall they definitely did it justice and I'm glad it was so well reviewed and we'll be getting more eventually.

[@foxinabox5103]

And also the "multiple ending feel" of S1. Where you saw this huge battle between NCR and the BOS, you feel like there's gotta be another ending if you do something different.... And also how reckless the whole battle feels. Its not a tactical battle, where everyone stayed in line and fought cover to cover like navy seal. Its crude, unfair and people fought in a very messy way. People trying their darndest to take down each other, grappling each other like a bar fight, swarming power armor users. Its chaotic, and i fucking love it

[@archdornan8349]

Right, 200 year old untouched skeletons in the middle of the most populous region of the former United States. Did no NCR citizen or scavenger ever stumble upon this place before lucy? I mean, this is in the NCR heartland. Surely somebody would've had the time and decency to bury these old skeletons? Hell, how were the bones and table ornaments not scattered by weather or wildlife. Come on, people - none of this has any internal consistency. Has logic gone out the window?

[@lukethelegend9705]

⁠@@archdornan8349you do realize most populous region just meant there were more people that died there? Also it doesn’t matter if it’s logical, it matters that it’s faithful to the game. You can find skeletons in abandoned houses frequently in the fallout games. Take your criticisms to them.

[@archdornan8349]

@lukethelegend9705 "most populous region" as in, the area with the highest population of the entire NCR. You know, the massive postwar nation-state of over 1.5 million people? If you think that this is faithful to the games, you are very wrong.

[@michaelmcmeel914]

@@archdornan8349And yet, it is a hallmark of the games. Settlements in use for generations still have piles of pre-war debris and garbage scattered around. Everything is crudely made from garbage because apparently nobody learned carpentry. It’s the visual esthetic. Nothing more.

[@jacksfacts20]

I’m friends with one of the writers of the show and he was a fan of the games, and was a driving force to keep the show loyal to the games. I’m so pumped for him with how well received the show has been!

[@berserkrage2579]

make sure you tell this man that every real fallout fan is so grateful for this and is waiting for more eagerly, seriously. give them a thank you for me.

[@schrodingersmechanic7622]

Yes please thank him. This show was such a treat.

[@mackl8305]

This is one of my favorite games ever. I was skeptical going into this series but so happy with the execution. Please make sure he knows how thankful we are that he kept them on point.

[@AshleyHankey]

Ask them how far they got in the writing so far this helps us guess the pace

[@lordofthesandvich171]

Make sure he cooks on Season 2!

[@apblolol]

the saddest part of blowing up the city was that it was a vault society. founded by another vault, that hank didn't know about.

[@robinwitch666]

Hank didn't give a damn. He was out for revenge against his former wife, who had left him for another woman, Moldaver.

[@nick-of-all-trades]

It was fun to watch Lucy gain levels.

[@j.f.fisher5318]

The first trailer I was hoping we'd see something like her journey turned out to be, and the clip in the second trailer that turned out to be her leaving the Super Duper Mart was when I got hyped.

[@bigideasthescholar]

Lucy fumbles her way out of every problem she encounters with pure luck. Her life gets saved repeatedly due to inexplicable coincidences and that goes for Maximus too.

[@ABurntMuffin]

@@bigideasthescholar well Maximus has a canonical luck of 10 and Lucy's is pretty high herself. Her stats are also impossible for a starting character in fallout 4, which seems to be what most of the lore has been pulled from, so while she doesn't have the experiences needed to not be a poor dumb vault dweller, she did do quite a bit of extracurriculars during her time in the vault, making her fairly formidable against the right opponent.

[@bigideasthescholar]

@@ABurntMuffin if these characters canonically have tons luck, how are there any stakes in the story? Why would I ever be scared that they would fail, or be defeated, or die? I find these type of characters incredibly annoying because I know that no matter what, they will always luck out of a negative situation with no consequences. It’s bad storytelling. Lucy is shown to be a bumbling idiot. Yes, there are times where she uses her skills, but those are far and a few between as luck as her main tool of getting out of situations. I found it infuriating that under circumstances that she should die or at least have negative consequences, she never does.

[@ABurntMuffin]

@@bigideasthescholar just because they can doesn't mean they will, but like, tell me, did you actually believe any of the main three would die from the vibe of even the trailers? Let alone episode 1. Nah. This is a power fantasy show, these characters are player characters on tv. This is not a Fallout 1 or 2 gritty tv show. It's not trying to be. You're not wrong, but it's just not the story they are trying to tell. Think of it more like a mystery. Nobody thought Sherlock Holmes would ever die. The thrill wasn't in thinking if he was going to get out, but how. Not if he was going to figure out the case, but HOW. And yet, *spoiler alert* when he throws himself and moriarty off the waterfall it SHOCKED people because it was such a change in tone. So, to reiterate, it still doesn't mean they won't kill anyone in the future. And hey, it might actually shock you. edit: You're really not wrong at all. And in a show that was TRYING to be gritty or have stakes in character deaths, even one that killed many main characters ala Game of Thrones, something like this WOULD be a major criticism worthy of trashing the writing whole cloth. But the only people who die get gibbed and explode and are nameless for the most part. And our named people, when they do die are either played as jokes (thinking of the doctor) or come across as extremely significant world moments (thinking of moldaver) and I don't think that by itself is objectively a writing sin.

[@shahs1221]

What's great about the show is that its not thirsty for approval just for the barest nod to a reference to the games. It's not interested in pure fan service. Instead it utilizes the worldbuilding (lore, set design, props, costumes, etc) as a sandbox and focuses on crafting its most important parts (characters and story) to navigate that sandbox. Cheaper adaptations will spend 5 minutes with a flashy, centralized scene on "look at (insert game reference here)!! You guys like this right??" and this show just treats it instead as a natural part of its environment. Those videos where they point out all the Easter eggs are cool... But the coolest part is that most of them are just for the texture and worldbuilding. It's the same with smart writing. The show doesn't treat its audience dumb nor does it rely on the existing video game audience to be invested. Every time I watch the show, it just gets better and better. The LAYERS it has. This show is something special!

[@bigideasthescholar]

This show was a disaster but let me illustrate this with a few questions. 1. Why did moldaver kill the residents of vault 33 when the show portrays her as someone who cares for other people’s wellbeing and who’s only real enemy is Vault Tech as well as cares very much for Rose and Rose’s children who she puts in considerable danger? Why didn’t she just quietly kidnap Hank after the sham wedding instead of slaughtering innocent people? 2. Why didn’t Vault 33 people think it was weird they didn’t recognize any of the Vault 32 people when they would’ve sent over relatives over the years and had been loose friends with them as well? 3. How did Vault 32 find out the truth and why did they kill each other/commit suicide when they discovered the truth? 4. How was Vault 32 cleaned up so quickly without Vault 33 residents noticing? 5. Why did moldaver just go get the head herself when she was in the neighborhood? 6. Why do the evil capitalists want to blow up the word? Wouldn’t they know that would decrease their resources, power, control, influence, monetary stability, comfort, freedom, and security? 7. How is Hank just able to nuke the New California Republic because he was made at his wife? Does every Vault Tech leader have this capability? 8. Why does Bud want to meet with Betty in person? And how can Bud not verify that it is Betty, instead of someone random like Norm? How are there no other defenses besides Bud for Vault 31? 9. Isn’t it lucky that Lucy runs into exactly what will lead her to her dad? Lucky that Maximus happens to pump into her exactly in time to save her from the ghoul? Lucky that she runs into Maximus just before she passes out from radiation poisoning? Lucky that when she loses a finger, she is taken to a place that replaces she finger immediately (for no reason because why give someone a replacement finger when you’re going to harvest their organs)? Lucky that she and Maximus run into one of the only places that can heal them and restock their resources in Vault 4 at their most desperate? And we haven’t even gotten to Maximus’s luck. 10. Isn’t it lucky that Maximus just so happens to get promoted after obviously intentionally wounding a brotherhood of steel? Lucky that his knight happens to be heading in the direction of Filly and then randomly wants to go kill something because he is bored when they happen to stumble across a Yau Guai’s den and attack only the knight enough to fatally wound him? Lucky that this also happens to be exactly where the target was that night? Lucky that the Ghoul doesn’t instantly kill him when we see the ghoul take out many knights very quickly in the final episode? Lucky that the raiders don’t kill him but shove him into the power armor in just the right way to squish the raider’s head? Lucky that the gulper vomited the head up instead of digesting it? Lucky that Lucy just so happened to come across Maximus while he was trapped in his power armor? Lucky that the two armed fiends are not able to take out Maximus who takes them out without dying? Lucky that the arrow pierced Thaddeus in the neck to learn that he is a ghoul in order for Thaddeus to give up the head? Lucky that afternoon lying to the brotherhood again, he gets promoted again? Lucky that he is in the exact position at the end of the movie to claim the ultimate victory for the brotherhood? Conclusion: yikes that’s bad.

[@drmcfacekick8912]

Points #9 and #10- have you ever played a video game? That's what video game narratives do, dude.​@@bigideasthescholar

[@bigideasthescholar]

@@drmcfacekick8912 not good games. Characters aren’t just bailed out by luck. That’s bad storytelling.

[@raidolato]

@@bigideasthescholar 1. It looks a bit like Moldaver allied with a group of bandits to raid the vault and promised them a lot of fun. Although the series doesn't suggest anything like that. 3. I don't know because none of the characters checked it. Nobody investigated. Maybe someone overheard something or noticed something during the vault exchange. 4. Bud could unfreeze a few people for cleaning. They finished the job quickly and returned to the freezer. Although the series doesn't suggest anything like that. 5. The scientist was going to her, so why make a fuss. 6. They already had resources, power, control, influence, monetary stability, comfort, freedom, and security. They wanted more, they wanted to be creators of a new world. 8. The contact was made from a secured computer, which is some kind of verification. Another thing is that Bud is resourceful in corporate work, but in matters of life he is somewhat clumsy. 9/10. In games, things happen around the player. In Fallout 4, you have emergency calls by radio about someone being in trouble, and you arrive a week later and the enemy attack is taking place (it should have been over long ago). Did the game wait for the player to have an event? Yes, because the game is happening around him. Coincidences and serendipity are, in a sense, natural to game plots. These are my thoughts. I'm not defending the series at all costs because it's full of holes, but I also don't think that everything has to be handed to me on a platter.

[@bigideasthescholar]

@@raidolato 1. Moldaver slaughters innocent people for no reason, but at the end of the series, she is supposed to be the one who sacrificed everything for the good of humankind by giving them cold fusion. This is incompatible with the psychopathic mass murderer that she showed herself to be at the beginning of the series. It makes no sense that she would carry both of these qualities of being a psychopathic serial killer and an altruistic savior of humanity who brings unlimited resources to them. 3. That still doesn’t explain why they killed each other and committed suicide. 4. Exactly, the series doesn’t suggest anything like that. 5. Moldaver could have provided security for the scientist with the remaining raiders she had so that he didn’t have to die and she would be securing the thing that she wanted. It would not have been far out of the way and it only further ensures that she gets what she wants. The only reason that she does not take this course of action is because the plot needed it to happen this way. That is the only reason. 6. Yeah, and they got less resources, less power, less control, less influence, less monetary stability, less comfort, less freedom, and less security. They should’ve known this. 8. But, come on. You would think that Hank would have some sort of other security check to ensure that nobody just happened to wander over to vault 31 before Betsy did. Something like a camera or a particular password, or anything at all to verify that the person coming to vault 31 was Betsy before simply letting them in. 9/10. I don’t care, that is bad storytelling. Even in a video game, that is bad. Inconsistencies, contrivances, and major coincidences are all major examples of bad storytelling whether it is in a video game, movie, book, or TV show.

[@NPCNo-xm2li]

As a life-long Fallout nerd, this show was an absolute treat. The nods to all the established major and minor lore (like Cooper's nod to the T-60 actually being kind of shit when you aim right and he knew because he wore them in Anchorage) was just amazing. This combined with how the three protagonists are essentially the evolution of every Fallout player made it an amazing thing to watch.

[@omni379]

One minor correction! And I mean this in a loving way-Howard wore the T-45. He says this when he meets Bud Askins for the first time. In the show, they wear the T-60. In his final shootout scene he says, “There was only one problem…there was a flaw in the welding, just below the chest plate. I wonder if they fixed that in this NEW model.”

[@NPCNo-xm2li]

@@omni379 Yeah, my bad. Still the point mostly stays the same

[@AusSP]

What are you talking about? The T-60 ain't "kind of shit if you aim right". If you attack the fusion core from behind, then SURE, and it would be great if they added that gameplay mechanic into the story (and the Chinese could have done it because they have stealth tech), but they didn't. They made up a completely different weakness that has nothing to do with the games, where THE FRONT OF THE ARMOR IS WEAKER. (!?!)

[@FloofMother]

@@AusSPI think it’s calling attention to how the t60 got nerfed in fallout 76 to now be slightly better than t45 as opposed to being the second best armor like how it was in fallout 4. T60 is also basically an upgrade package for t45 (if we were to treat power armor like they were tanks in the real world) so it makes sense they have the same flaw as opposed to t51 which is an entirely different suit of armor. It also kind of fits in a thematic way that the brotherhood decided to change over to an objectively inferior suit of armor with a glaring weakness, symbolizing the rot they’ve undergone as a faction

[@AusSP]

@@FloofMother Sure, it works in all of the ways that have never been true, like the fact that the T-45 has a completely different chest plate compared to the T-60, so it wouldn't have the same "welding problem". If the T-51 wouldn't have the issue, then the T-60 wouldn't.

[@DrDestructo]

A thing that killed me: in Lucy's introductory scene, she literally says her tagged Skills out loud: Repair, Science, Speech. The best thing is, if you didn't know Fallout from a gameplay standpoint, it was written in such a way that it just came off like she was giving a self-evaluation for a job position, rather then some stilted wink-wink nod-nod reference- I pointed this out to my dad, who likes the series but has only ever seen me play from over the shoulder back when I lived at home, and he laughed.

[@m.i.a.826]

Have you seen Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves? It gave me exactly the feeling that you describe, while still being a wonderful fantasy move in its own right. The qualia.

[@robunnygirl]

I felt that too when watching it, until the very end where the romance element felt forced. Nearly every party I've been in that has player on player romance usually backfires hard. Huge props for giving out the name Jarnathon as its the exact kinda name that someone would come up with on the fly.

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

Too bad it was based on 5th ed. D&D, which is trash.

[@thomashiggins9320]

Exactly. It explains why D&D remains popular 50 years later. It's *fun* .

[@NaruSanavai]

@@CliffSedge-nu5fv Wrong. Everyone knows the best edition of D&D is the one that you actually get the chance to _play,_ for a change. And, do not forget: D&D is not something you play, because you want to play a _game;_ for that, I recommend...Uno. We play D&D because we want to help tell a story, while simultaneously taking part _in_ it. _That_ is the _game._

[@asmosisyup2557]

"Thou shall get sidetracked by endless BS" perfectly captured the fallout game series.

[@mmorkinism]

Main issue with failed adaptations is that creators were not fans of the game and were not familiar with world, atmosphere and how it would feel to be there.

[@suzygirl1843]

Not everything is about you. They want new fans who have not played the game to maximize the viewership. Americans need to stop thinking the world revolves around them

[@philippelavoie9245]

@@suzygirl1843 the hell does that mean?

[@suzygirl1843]

@@philippelavoie9245 Meaning, I have never played the video games, I don't know what half the references mean so it's good thing that Amazon gives the OG fans 50% and new audiences like me 50% so that I don't feel lost.

[@TR-qf2gt]

@@suzygirl1843but then the fan/viewership they gained from such would not be an organic extension of the source material and thus fails the purpose of an adaptation which /should/ capture the qualia of the game at the very least

[@suzygirl1843]

@TR-qf2gt Nerds, not everything is about you. GAMES are for you. Entertainment is for everyone. Stop gatekeeping, and let the artists do their job in spreading the I.P to newer audiences. The BIGGEST issue with fandoms is the greedy nerds who think nobody else is entitled to the fantasy/sci-fi stories spawned from a very niche market. Not everyone can afford to buy video games, tv series are the preferred mainstream distribution system

[@thatoneguy8907]

Lucy and Maximus having low charisma stats was definitely notable in their dialogue. Lucy even fails a speech check with the lady at the store 😂

[@thomashiggins9320]

I also grew up in a time when few people played video games, because there just weren't many. The first video game I ever saw was "Pong," and I was already 10 or 11 years old. That means I also was one of the first to play a table-top role-playing game (TTRPG) -- "Original Dungeons & Dragons" from the three little books in the white box, plus the "Greyhawk" supplement. That *also* means I experienced the ginned-up moral panic of the late 1970s to early 1980s, when AD&D came out and the game gained enough popularity that people noticed it existed, at all. My mom could never really grasp why I wouldn't turn my narrative creativity to writing novels instead of playing a game with my friends, because she couldn't understand that playing the game with my friends was the *entire point* -- the *whole purpose* of all that creative effort. To me, that was so much more rewarding than sitting in an empty room, by myself, trying to come up with something to write on a blank piece of paper (and, eventually, a blank screen). It's why I spent 10 years as a *newspaper reporter* and not as a novelist. The human interaction, the impact on the larger community, was the most rewarding thing -- the writing was just the means to that end, for me. I did like your insights into the two successful adaptations we've seen. I do agree the reason "The Last of Us" worked so well as a TV series was because the "game" was always about the story more than the game-play. In fact the game-play, itself, was pretty shallow as compared to (say) most of the open-world CRPGs that I definitely prefer. I haven't seen the entire Fallout TV series yet, but I'm well into it and the thing I like best is how well it captures the surrealistically zany world and what the players have their characters do, there. Another thing it also does successfully, that "The Last of Us" did brilliantly well, is that it gives us characters we like and care about. Lucy MacLean is sweet and upbeat and surprisingly competent, and that makes it easier for female viewers to identify with her and put themselves in her situation. On top of all that, she's physically attractive and has a straightforward and relatively uncomplicated view of human sexuality that appeals to men. Lucy would never play head-games; you'd always know where you stood in a relationship with her. Maximus has the same sort of relationship with his knight that many of us (men and women) have with the self-centered, less competent bosses that plague much of our professional lives. Watching them get eaten by mutant bears would give us similar joy; we honestly feel we'd do a better job; and when presented with the opportunity we struggle more than we thought to do it right. And the ghoul, Cooper Howard, has the competence and borderline-cynical understanding of how the world actually works that many of us develop as a product of our (somewhat) successful lives, but combines that with the physical strength and health we start to lose, and the immortality we'll never have. I find it quite entertaining, and have had "laugh out loud" moments in every episode I've seen, so far.

[@thepaintingbanjo8894]

God, makes me dream of getting a Mass Effect show so hard now. Don't give me any allusions to a Commander Shepard, a Normandy, or anything involving the Reapers. Just a good original story with good original characters set in a well-established vibrant universe fans know and love, but more than welcomes newcomers to such a universe. Do a neo-noir story on the Citadel with a human and a turian as a buddy cop duo, *do anything that the imagination can allow **_inside of the spiritual confines of the games' lore and universe._* That's what "qualia" is to me.

[@crypto66]

Being a space opera, Mass Effect is perfectly setup for endless stories that could go every which way. The problem is the highly restrictive timeframe if you want any humans in the story; consider that there are barely 30 years between the First Contact War and the Reaper Invasion. It won't help that for any player watching, the narrative will be underlined by the fact that everything's guaranteed to get blown up in a few years--meaning the writing has to work really hard to maintain the gravity of a personal story. Vega's story perfectly showed how an individualized arc can get obliterated against the backdrop of a galactic conflict. I've honestly felt that it was a bit of a waste that Bioware went with such a definitive conclusion, but Shepard was always a power fantasy so scaling it down would've been akin to regression. Of course, this will all change once ME5 finally solidifies a post-invasion canon. Depending on how it goes, we can even have the potential for non-Andromeda space western stories with the destruction of the relays. Then again, picking a pre-FCW setting is always possible--but humans are front and center in these kinds of things for a reason.

[@Wookiee925]

Agreed

[@NakAlienEd]

I used to want a direct ME adaption into a show or movie, and then I wanted hollywood to stay the heck away, but now I see that if they do it like Fallout, where they treat it as a new game entry in the series (that's how Todd Howard says they approached the Fallout show) instead of a retread over old ground, I see it can be done really well, and complement what already exists.

[@gnomiegnome9415]

I know this isn't quite the same, but I like to pretend that the "The Expanse" is a Mass Effect prequel series. While it's not connected to ME at all, the grounded sci-fi setting is exactly how I imagine human society was just before finding Prothean tech (minus the biotic stuff). Also, a quarian from ME2 plays an Earth politician!

[@bernardpoupart]

I know people wont be fond of my ideia, but....i would really like an andromeda adapatation if the adapt ME one day, at least using the traveling to another universe part, a star treck vibes to it, i would change a lot of things but it would be fun because they have good ideas but just didint stick the landing

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

3:50 I can directly confirm this; when watching people play dark souls, I didn't understand it very well, but when PLAYING it, I gained far greater understanding of the controls, of the mechanics, of how it feels. I could probably direct a dark souls combat scene far better now than before. The same goes for Minecraft's surprisingly immersive world. You don't think you'll get immersed in blocks that are 16 pixels wide, but when I fell off a cliff, I felt it in my gut, when a creeper hissed behind me, I physically panicked. Portraying that emotional response is key to adapting a video game; the rush of dodging a boss combo, the pure, predatory happiness when you realize you can beat the boss with ease, the utter terror of the creeper's hiss, knowing you're about to die. These things can all be described, but EXPERIENCING them is far more useful to portraying them accurately in a new medium.

[@antonyalceu4547]

*looks at my Xbox 360 copy of Dark Souls 1* Well..... I certainly will suffer.... At least I bought a wire controller, so no unexpected controller disconnecting.

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

@@antonyalceu4547 Remember that in DS1 it's only four directions of rolling when you're locked on. It is significantly easier to parry in DS1 than in 2 or 3 though, so that's worth learning if you've got the reflexes. My tip is to watch the enemy's attacking limb, and see when it begins moving towards you, dodging or beginning your parry as it does so. It's definitely a bit clunky compared to newer titles, but it's a world of fun once you start getting dodge timings down. Also, Beware the water.

[@antonyalceu4547]

@@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606 well I'm stuck at a church after the bridge part with that dragon. I can't beat that unit of a knight with that hammer/mace thing.... *All those souls.... Lost...* (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

@@antonyalceu4547 did you get the church bonfire?

[@sophia_comicart]

Spot on. It’s experiential. A character on new and UNIQUE journey through the world we already know with new surprises. They need space for character growth not just set pieces. Growth and conflict is the core of story and that’s what we connect to because we experience it like we do in the game. Uncharted was boring because we’d already seen it and there was zero character work.

[@bigideasthescholar]

This show was a disaster but let me illustrate this with a few questions. 1. Why did moldaver kill the residents of vault 33 when the show portrays her as someone who cares for other people’s wellbeing and who’s only real enemy is Vault Tech as well as cares very much for Rose and Rose’s children who she puts in considerable danger? Why didn’t she just quietly kidnap Hank after the sham wedding instead of slaughtering innocent people? 2. Why didn’t Vault 33 people think it was weird they didn’t recognize any of the Vault 32 people when they would’ve sent over relatives over the years and had been loose friends with them as well? 3. How did Vault 32 find out the truth and why did they kill each other/commit suicide when they discovered the truth? 4. How was Vault 32 cleaned up so quickly without Vault 33 residents noticing? 5. Why did moldaver just go get the head herself when she was in the neighborhood? 6. Why do the evil capitalists want to blow up the word? Wouldn’t they know that would decrease their resources, power, control, influence, monetary stability, comfort, freedom, and security? 7. How is Hank just able to nuke the New California Republic because he was made at his wife? Does every Vault Tech leader have this capability? 8. Why does Bud want to meet with Betty in person? And how can Bud not verify that it is Betty, instead of someone random like Norm? How are there no other defenses besides Bud for Vault 31? 9. Isn’t it lucky that Lucy runs into exactly what will lead her to her dad? Lucky that Maximus happens to pump into her exactly in time to save her from the ghoul? Lucky that she runs into Maximus just before she passes out from radiation poisoning? Lucky that when she loses a finger, she is taken to a place that replaces she finger immediately (for no reason because why give someone a replacement finger when you’re going to harvest their organs)? Lucky that she and Maximus run into one of the only places that can heal them and restock their resources in Vault 4 at their most desperate? And we haven’t even gotten to Maximus’s luck. 10. Isn’t it lucky that Maximus just so happens to get promoted after obviously intentionally wounding a brotherhood of steel? Lucky that his knight happens to be heading in the direction of Filly and then randomly wants to go kill something because he is bored when they happen to stumble across a Yau Guai’s den and attack only the knight enough to fatally wound him? Lucky that this also happens to be exactly where the target was that night? Lucky that the Ghoul doesn’t instantly kill him when we see the ghoul take out many knights very quickly in the final episode? Lucky that the raiders don’t kill him but shove him into the power armor in just the right way to squish the raider’s head? Lucky that the gulper vomited the head up instead of digesting it? Lucky that Lucy just so happened to come across Maximus while he was trapped in his power armor? Lucky that the two armed fiends are not able to take out Maximus who takes them out without dying? Lucky that the arrow pierced Thaddeus in the neck to learn that he is a ghoul in order for Thaddeus to give up the head? Lucky that afternoon lying to the brotherhood again, he gets promoted again? Lucky that he is in the exact position at the end of the movie to claim the ultimate victory for the brotherhood? Conclusion: yikes that’s bad.

[@Hidden_Sage]

@@bigideasthescholar 1a) hard to say for sure. But I would first posit that "not having a question answered is not inherently a flaw. 1b) If you have to insist on hypothesizing an answer, it's not a guarantee Moldaver knew the Vault 33 people were trustworthy. Maybe Hank has let them in on the Vault-Tec game or otherwise brain-washed them. Maybe her people are just too angry and want vengeance for Shady Sands and her command of them isn't secure enough to demand a bloodless victory. 2) The show makes it pretty clear the Vaults don't interact *in-person* all that often. Vault 31 being a giant cryo storage facility was successfully kept secret for 2 centuries. The 32 residents looking kinda funny isn't going to raise eyebrows if they haven't seen anyone from there in years or decades (and remember, there WAS a cover story about a crop blight, which would justify the lack of familiar faces) 3) See 1a. We don't know how they figured out. And honestly, we don't need to know. The only thing important to Norm's story is THAT they found out. 4) Vault 31 residents getting out of cryosleep. Maybe members of Bud's buds who were already in 33 took shifts to do it. Maybe Bud had protectron units in storage somewhere between the vaults for cleanup (and even security) purposes. Again, see 1a. How isn't even actually important. THAT it happened - and the weirdness of it serving as another clue to Norm that shit just isn't right in the 3-Vault alliance - is. 5) What are you even talking about? The only time we see Moldaver "in the neighborhood" is during the raid on 33. All available evidence is she goes back to the observatory after that to do whatever work goes into leading an NCR remnant faction. And I would remind you that Wilzig's head was still very much attached to his body at that time. 6) A bunch of detached ivory-tower weirdos who have more money than they know what to do with? Their bet is that the Vaults will give them enough comfort to ride out the chaos. And whatever's left after is "all" theirs. It's a hamfisted caricature of both capitalism and people - but if your critique is that humans aren't always logical actors, I would have to ask how many actual humans you've met. 7) Hank is explicitly called out as a member of an exclusive group of Vault-Tec employees that were kept on ice to lead the company (and prob. the world) after the war. And "b/c he was mad at his wife" is just his personal motive. The way he'd pitch it to any other committees/superiors is that their plan of having uncontested control of America/Earth is invalidated by the NCR's existence. Just another move to eliminate the competition. 8) If there's one thing rich elitists are good at, it's underestimating the common "clay of the earth" types. Vault-Tec never planned for the 32/33 peons both suspecting something was amiss AND successfully hacking their terminals (and Norm is pretty well established to be smarter than the average Vault Dweller). There was no security because there was no perceived need for security. Or is saying Bud had a character flaw - hubris - somehow bad writing? 9) It's an adaptation of a video game. Nothing you said here even scratches the surface of the absolute bullshit a high Luck stat can get you in any of the games. Also, this is a common theme in almost every piece of media - that fate tends to smile on protagonists. That's why they're the protagonist and not the 50 other people who died in a ditch sometime before the camera started rolling. 10) See #9. TL;DR: You need to learn to relax and like things. If you're this picky about every unanswered question, unexplored line of thought, and stroke of coincidence/good fortune in a tv show, you are never going to be able to cope with the real world (where things get left unsaid and people get lucky breaks ALL the fucking time for no apparent reason).

[@bigideasthescholar]

@@Hidden_Sage 1. “not having a question answered is not inherently a flaw.” I agree, but there should be possibilities of a logical explanation. “it's not a guarantee Moldaver knew the Vault 33 people were trustworthy.” So kill them all? I would simply suggest that she request to talk to him and pull him aside and then quietly kidnap him without the bloodshed. You don’t need the people from vault 33 to be trustworthy for this plan to come to fruition. “Maybe her people are just too angry and want vengeance for Shady Sands and her command of them isn't secure enough to demand a bloodless victory.” First, it seems like she has a very solid command of the raiders. Second, she still could have simply done what I suggest where Hank is secured and then let the raiders do their rampage, but Hank is completely unsecured and in danger the entire time the attack is commencing. He only survives because no one happened to kill him. 2. The show makes it pretty clear that the vaults exchange people approximately every three years, particularly for marriage. That means that there would be family members, cousins, and other friends that have gone to other vaults that people would look forward to seeing approximately every three years. Imagine if you only saw your cousins every three years. You would still recognize them as your cousins. And if they were missing from the family gathering, you would probably ask why they weren’t there. You would probably look forward to seeing old friends that you hadn’t seen in years and if they were missing, you would be pretty disappointed and wondering what was going on. “and remember, there WAS a cover story about a crop blight, which would justify the lack of familiar faces” No it would not. New fully grown adults don’t just magically populate in vaults. 3. Again, I agree. But they’re just needs to be a logical explanation which I don’t really see with the other factors that are in play. The other factors being that it does not explain why they decided to kill themselves and suicide one another without trying to reach out to Vault 33. It also doesn’t explain why despite radio silence from Vault 32 for two years, that Vault 33 never checked out how everyone was doing. 4. OK, so you would have to infer Betty discovered all of the corpses when she decided to wander over to vault 32 at some point. She would need to contact Bud that somebody needs to clean it up. And then you would have to infer that Bud unfroze people from vault 31 and told them that they needed to clean up some corpses. Then, once that is done, the people that he released need to be refrozen again. That’s a fine explanation, but you are doing the writing for the show runners. They didn’t write that. “How isn't even actually important.” It absolutely does matter. That is the job of writing. Writing is problem solving. The problem is how do I tell a good story. The solution is found in the writing. When writers give up on why something happened the way it did, that’s when you get bad stories like this one. 5. Exactly, she is very close by where Wilzig is passing through after the Vault 33 raid. This is based on the travel we see from Lucy. If Moldaver simply went to Filly with her band of raiders and waited where she knew Wilzig was going to go, then she would have secured literally everything she needed to accomplish her goals. 6. BUT WHY CAUSE THE CHAOS?!? It will limit you in every conceivable way. They gain absolutely no benefit from NUKING THE WORLD! They should be smart enough to know that nuking the world is incredibly disadvantageous for them. 7. That doesn’t really answer my question. I just wanna know why Hank is able to execute these insane capabilities on his whim. But this is only in the beginning of my questions on this topic. Is he able to launch nuclear weapons at a whim? Are other vault tech executives able to do the same? Wouldn’t another way to eliminate the competition be to nuke other executives and be king of the vaults? Were are these vaults operationally planned to launch nuclear warheads at a whim? And, if yes, then why? You already nuked the entire world! Why would you need more capabilities for firing off nuclear warheads? 8. The information that Bud is responsible for will literally destroy the vaults as he knows them and as they were intended. And based on what we need to infer about what happened to vault 32, he would want to ensure with every fiber of his maintained being to keep this information a secret. It makes sense to me that Bud would have a vested interest in maintaining the security of these secrets. This is not something that would be flippant about. If it had occurred to Bud to simply validate in any way that it wasn’t just some random person who is asking to enter into vault 31 which he has every incentive to do so, then Norman is screwed, and the secret is maintained. However, he doesn’t double check and he doesn’t because the show needs him to be retarded. Hubris does not explain a lack of security around guarding a secret that destroyed half of the civilization that you are trying to maintain. 9/10. A luck stat is stupid. The universe should not bend to the wheel of the protagonist just because they are the protagonist. “Also, this is a common theme in almost every piece of media - that fate tends to smile on protagonists.” I vehemently disagree with this. Most of my favorite movies have a protagonist that is incredibly unlucky. Let me ask you this, what is more satisfying in a story? A character who achieve something by pure luck or a character who achieves something through hard work, skill, and willpower to overcome obstacles that stand in the way of him and the achievement? Which character is more rewarding to follow and cheer on in there journey to achieving what they set out to achieve? I would also argue that, in any piece of media, the story gets better if the protagonist is under the same rules and nature of the world. and here’s the thing, luck is much more forgivable in a story if there are consequences that the characters actions. In fallout, the main three characters, but particularly Lucy and Maximus, receive almost no negative consequences despite being bumbling idiots throughout the series. And the negative consequences that they do receive are resolved very quickly which is absolutely infuriating to watch. “You need to learn to relax and like things.” -No, you need to stop relaxing on things like this.- Do you see how patronizing this sounds? Here’s the thing about unanswered questions, there are logical explanations that can answer those questions in the real world. I don’t even know what you’re trying to say with the unexplored line of thought. There is more than one stroke of coincidence/good fortune in this show. It is continuous and nonstop. It is nauseating the amount of luck that Maximus and Lucy possess. I mean, how can I be invested in characters that I come to realize will never be in any serious threat of any major negative consequences? How are there any stakes? We need to demand better from our media. There are plenty of absolutely wonderful examples for how to execute storytelling well. And if we praise this rubbish as gold, we’re just going to keep receiving the same garbage.

[@shadiester]

I would highly recommend you watch Arcane, if nothing else because it's an incredible show, but especially because I think it exists as somewhat of a counterpoint to the idea that a good video game adaptation should reflect the qualia of playing the game. Arcane truly is one of the most exceptional shows I've ever watched, and yet watching it feels nothing like what playing League feels like. Instead, I think Arcane is evidence of a different path to a good video game adaptation, one where you tell new stories set within an already rich world, drawing inspiration from all the different pieces of the existing lore and world-building to create something new and beautiful.

[@jasonmckenzie2835]

Arcane is a masterpiece

[@hartthorn]

YES! Like, there's never any attempt to portray the "Top lane vs bottom lane vs jungle" or anything. It just took the pieces on the board, and wrote this masterful and compelling story around them. A counter point to your counter point would be the Warcraft movie. It was TRYING to do that, and it was honestly not as bad as some make it out to be, but it wasn't GOOD. It failed at providing a compelling enough independent story using the lore of the universe that it could stand apart from the stories of the lore or the joy of the gameplay that it left the game fans soured.

[@oliverpinch4948]

I think he almost explicitly didn't discuss Arcane here, as it is not in any way trying to replicate the game/ the story that the game tells. I would be very surprised if he doesn't like Arcane, but it is not at all involved in the discussion he is trying to have here.

[@kezia8027]

But Arcane isn't an adaptation. At least not in the way described in the video. It is just IP that was turned into a show. The whole point of adaptation is that it is derivative, if you don't have connection to the original art, then it's just inspiration, not an adaptation.

[@dethkon]

What streaming service is it on? Prime or Netflix?

[@PulpHouseHorror]

Start watching: Finally, a LSOO video that won’t make me cry Finish watching: Cry

[@Version0111]

13:38 I'd say he's on a villain's quest. When I was in college I was given a guide to writing a villain's journey as opposed to the typical hero's journey. Maximus fits the guide i was given almost perfectly.

[@enthusiasticallydry]

he’s on a villains quest, but he doesn’t want to kill any of the characters that he meets

[@VictorLiso]

Edge of Tomorrow is based on a light novel called All You Need is Kill. Many light novels have a heavy videogame influence.

[@deepfriedicecream576]

the moment that made me understand just how great of an adaptation fallout was when i visited a friends house and their dad was watching the show, and laughing and enjoying his time. hearing him laugh and seeing what was on the screen briefly reminded me of just why i love playing fallout, and the joy it brings me, and now is bringing to my friends father. im not sure how exactly it made me feel, but i felt seen. that my appreciation for this fictional world and gaming is being be represented in such a loving way.

[@zenish]

I'm so glad you mentioned Edge of Tomorrow! I was preparing mentally to finish the video and write a comment about it. It's not just you, it totally dawned on me halfway through my first watch and I laughed out loud so much, realising the way the filmmakers had captured that kind of qualia about playing hard games with little room for error.

[@YamiHoOu]

I think the fact there are so many fun video game overlay edits of scenes from the show really proves this point of Qualia.

[@PritongSinaing]

The Ghoul's introduction is like loading up an old save file from an old game.

[@jonahthejedai4973]

The right tool for the right job. Which is why I want a Horizon Zero Dawn MOVIE and not a TV show, especially one produced by Netflix. Horizon is an epic visual feast and a lovely character fable. Perfect to fit in the wheel-work of James Cameron or George Miller.

[@tweegerm]

The D&D movie captured the qualia of playing D&D really well too - the prevailing goofiness, the convoluted plans and skills, the mix-match of personalities, and the moments of epic coolness.

[@LutraLovegood]

If you can explain it so easily, is it really qualia?

[@restingsmirkface]

The qualia of LSOO draws me in every time

[@DolphLundgrensDolphinDungeon]

Literally the first time I've ever seen "qualia" used in a youtube comment in 18 years

[@michaelpacinus242]

@@DolphLundgrensDolphinDungeonthese biggas all tryin to sound smart now that they learned this dumbass word from this Frenchman

[@Evan-k]

What

[@EpitomyofShyness]

You've won yourself a new subscriber with this well thought out and put together love letter to gaming, philosophy, and story telling as a whole. Thank you for producing this video.

[@snowballeffect7812]

I can't wait to see what Final Pam does in the next season.

[@arsarma1808]

My moment of revelation was when the knight dumped all of his gear on his squire to carry for him. Even though he is in power armor and probably easily has the capacity.

[@dethkon]

Do you know what film adapted gameplay from a game in an EXTREMELY interesting way? _Battleship_ (don’t laugh!). Say what you will about the rest of the film, but I found the adaptation of the experience of playing the board game into the plot and action of the film itself to be highly creative.

[@waymire01]

I actually greatly enjoyed Battleship. I have no idea whey they tried to theme it to a basic board game.. but the movie is great and would have done a lot better if they had just named it something else.

[@dethkon]

@@waymire01 I liked it more than most people seemed to also. It has a fun script, Didn’t take itself too seriously, but was well paced, competently acted, and clicked most of my boxes for a summer blockbuster action film. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for naval warfare.

[@j.f.fisher5318]

@@waymire01 I feel like Hollywood execs have two stacks, one of scripts and one of IP, and they just go along matching them up until they find something that nominally works.

[@justinfarmer7460]

I really liked the way the pegs became alien ordinance.

[@AlleluiaElizabeth]

I like this film, too.

[@sabatheus]

I remember resenting Maximus as a character because he was being portrayed as stupid. My light-bulb moment was during the bridge scene with the Fiends. He was highly alert and knew they were lying. It was then I realized that his character had been "rolled" to be exactly as he was portrayed. He's a low intelligence, high perception, high luck character...and likely has the "Idiot Savant" perk. That revelation changed the way I saw the writers. They are not only competent, but they also have a deep love and appreciation for the lore. So much so, that they incorporated the the game play mechanics into the story's characters. And as a super-fan of Fallout, I love this very much.

[@mynameisjonboy]

That was an amazing video! I'm not a gamer, but I didn't have to be in order to appreciate everything you were saying--in fact, it struck a chord within me so effectively, that it made me emotional at times. Story is so important to me, and understanding the connection between video game stories and adaptation stories was absolutely fascinating. Thank you for making this!

[@milastarr4347]

Beautifully put and wonderfully said. I love your explanation, it is a perfect case of the situation of how movies and games have become so intertwined, but how difficult it is to do it.

[@the-real-max-power]

A thought I had while watching: I can recommend the movie adaptation of the Taiwanese indie game gem "Detention". The movie, not the Netflix Series! It is pretty faithful to the game, but I think most viewers don't even know it's a video game adaptation. It was a pretty big thing in Taiwan due to its subject matter. And that's what I particularly liked about: I could watch it and see all the little details from the game, whilst anyone unfamiliar could still enjoy it on its own. I really don't like it when the makers try to fourth-wall it and wink to me like "you know that thing that is cool about the video game". Make it stand on its own.

[@BxGStone]

To add to the disconnect of gameplay and story in video games is that the most perfect example of when the gameplay and story connects very well is Neir: Automata or Replicant. When certain events happen in the story alters the effects in gameplay and vise versa. Great video essay btw.

[@sp00ze31]

This is absolutely amazing writing. I absolutely commend you on this take. This is what journalism should be like. Passion, Research, passion, research, articulation, pacing, passion, research, time, time, production, revise, revise, passion... I can not fathom the time and effort you put into this piece.

[@AnimeShinigami13]

I love this so much I sent it to my mom, who doesn't seem to understand why I love fallout or sci fi/zombie type games in general. I had so much trouble trying to convey to her what I saw in these games that was so engaging that I love so much. So thank you.

[@CainOnGames]

I really enjoyed this video and hearing your take on the show.

[@TapirMask]

👀

[@erraticonteuse]

Seeing this comment at 8:17 EST on a Monday reminding me "Oh, he'll have a new video up!"

[@brendanlund6959]

Great vid! I had never seen anything from your channel before so I was not expecting a great discussion of qualia, quotes from Mark Fisher, and references to Linda Hutcheon in a video about a videos game adaptation. You clearly did your research and I am loving it!

[@jonpopelka]

What a deeply thoughful, academic, and personal analysis! Otstanding work! You articulated perfectly many things that I've also felt, but hadn't been able to clearly express.

[@ClayMann]

This was just so good. I never really thought about how the TV show had made three players perspectives. I just saw the main character Lucy and recognised that's what playing Fallout is really like, they nailed it. It was why I was so confused when so many people attacked it. But further in the video has another revelation for me that I had not realised. I've been drawn to dystopian visions in movies, TV and games all my life. Never tired of them and I see now its because it strips back the complications of the world, the culture and shows us the human condition as it is in all of its beautiful and evil variations. Lucy could be a character set in a drama set in a hospital in the present year or maybe she's a cop in a gritty 1990's thriller with the same character traits of someone new to something getting thrown in at the deep end and so on and so on. But none of those stories really draw me in. I'll enjoy them sometimes but I don't seek them out. Set it at the end of the world, now you've got me. And I see now I'm not really seeking anything different from those that love the cop shows or the medical drama's. I just value and see more through the lens of the dystopian vision. Blade Runner sucks me in and in games Fallout is one of few games that I've kept going back to in every version. I mod it to within an inch of its life now several years into its life to make it fresh again. But its often the quiet moments where I don't know where I'm going. I'm just walkin here. When I'm enjoying those and fast travel makes me pull a face, I'm up for adventure. But sometimes I am fast traveling and I'm trying to level up various things, finish off quest lines I'm not really that into. But the game is big enough that you can go through all kinds of ways of playing it as this very video points out. The Fallout TV show captures that perfectly in three characters. I don't know how I did not see that. Great video.

[@bigideasthescholar]

This show was a disaster but let me illustrate this with a few questions. 1. Why did moldaver kill the residents of vault 33 when the show portrays her as someone who cares for other people’s wellbeing and who’s only real enemy is Vault Tech as well as cares very much for Rose and Rose’s children who she puts in considerable danger? Why didn’t she just quietly kidnap Hank after the sham wedding instead of slaughtering innocent people? 2. Why didn’t Vault 33 people think it was weird they didn’t recognize any of the Vault 32 people when they would’ve sent over relatives over the years and had been loose friends with them as well? 3. How did Vault 32 find out the truth and why did they kill each other/commit suicide when they discovered the truth? 4. How was Vault 32 cleaned up so quickly without Vault 33 residents noticing? 5. Why did moldaver just go get the head herself when she was in the neighborhood? 6. Why do the evil capitalists want to blow up the word? Wouldn’t they know that would decrease their resources, power, control, influence, monetary stability, comfort, freedom, and security? 7. How is Hank just able to nuke the New California Republic because he was made at his wife? Does every Vault Tech leader have this capability? 8. Why does Bud want to meet with Betty in person? And how can Bud not verify that it is Betty, instead of someone random like Norm? How are there no other defenses besides Bud for Vault 31? 9. Isn’t it lucky that Lucy runs into exactly what will lead her to her dad? Lucky that Maximus happens to pump into her exactly in time to save her from the ghoul? Lucky that she runs into Maximus just before she passes out from radiation poisoning? Lucky that when she loses a finger, she is taken to a place that replaces she finger immediately (for no reason because why give someone a replacement finger when you’re going to harvest their organs)? Lucky that she and Maximus run into one of the only places that can heal them and restock their resources in Vault 4 at their most desperate? And we haven’t even gotten to Maximus’s luck. 10. Isn’t it lucky that Maximus just so happens to get promoted after obviously intentionally wounding a brotherhood of steel? Lucky that his knight happens to be heading in the direction of Filly and then randomly wants to go kill something because he is bored when they happen to stumble across a Yau Guai’s den and attack only the knight enough to fatally wound him? Lucky that this also happens to be exactly where the target was that night? Lucky that the Ghoul doesn’t instantly kill him when we see the ghoul take out many knights very quickly in the final episode? Lucky that the raiders don’t kill him but shove him into the power armor in just the right way to squish the raider’s head? Lucky that the gulper vomited the head up instead of digesting it? Lucky that Lucy just so happened to come across Maximus while he was trapped in his power armor? Lucky that the two armed fiends are not able to take out Maximus who takes them out without dying? Lucky that the arrow pierced Thaddeus in the neck to learn that he is a ghoul in order for Thaddeus to give up the head? Lucky that afternoon lying to the brotherhood again, he gets promoted again? Lucky that he is in the exact position at the end of the movie to claim the ultimate victory for the brotherhood? Conclusion: yikes that’s bad.

[@InlandDiscoEmpire]

The cope over this show is sad, it's fxcking trash lol.

[@InlandDiscoEmpire]

@@bigideasthescholar Thank you.

[@The-Doctor6969]

Oh, brother. I didn't realize you raided the comments with this shit ​@@bigideasthescholar

[@mysampleid]

The master didn't exist in Fallout TV show universe, but remember guys, they nailed it 100%

[@DanJaguar]

This video is absolutely brilliant, I'm so happy it showed up in my recommendeds. Well done!

[@congruentcrib]

My favorite quote from the show was “Will you still want the same things when you have become a different animal altogether?” Each character wants something, and each character hates what they originally wanted by the end. We think we know the world and once we find out about the real world, we are changed and have different motives for our actions. Another thing I loved was the showing the slow descent the wasteland does to us. Lucy originally had been using non lethal weapons, and adapted her non lethal weapon to become lethal with no intent of actually using it to kill, but at some point she is forced to use a lethal weapon with the sole purpose of killing. This transition is bridged by the fact that what she killed was half human. The feral ghoul was phasing in and out of being feral which makes killing them slightly easier on your conscious. The same thing happens in game; we start by killing some bugs we’re familiar with, and not before long we’re killing people just like us. It takes time, but soon we become what we wanted to eradicate from the wasteland, killers.

[@abloodraven3856]

But what I also like is that, while Lucy is changing, she's also not completely compromising on her core ideals, which after that scene you mentioned, is juxtaposed with her giving Cooper his medication in spite of all he did to her. Which ends up reminding Cooper of the man he used to be. Just like how a player on a good run helps others and sees that change in the world. The wasteland may change the player, but the player changes the wasteland just as much.

[@congruentcrib]

@@abloodraven3856 fuckin gold! 10/10

[@PainfullySubjective]

starting with 23:41 i can absolutely empathize you. i applaud your skill of articulating emotion

[@thisguy8106]

The Painful Art of Empathy is truly a masterpiece. If anyone sees this that hasn't watched that, I *highly* recommend it. It's incredible.

[@rishabhrastogi17]

link?

[@Turnoutburndown]

@@rishabhrastogi17 Coming to Terms with the Last of Us: Part 2 - Complete Review and Analysis is the proper title

[@thisguy8106]

@@Turnoutburndown thank you. I've always just referred to it as what the Thumbnail says. 👌👌

[@hlee9627]

I wanted to sleep but was blessed by this video, fantastic quality and I think you are right in that movies/shows that reproduce that familiar feeling (qualia) of video games is what makes video game adaptions work, and why some movies feel videogame-ish. You nailed it with Edge of Tomorrow. It was, to me, a player essentially doing a perfect speed run, doing the correct things after 100s of tries to get a perfect run, and all the frustrations that came with it, and the ultimate joy when you succeed. As a Fallout New Vegas, Fallout 3 and 4 player. I was pleasently surprised by the adaptation and loved those random moments where I went "He's using this perk" or "He is clearly a low INT character", its like in between playing a game and watching a stream. While I'm not directly engaging, I understand why the character (player) interacted in such a way. Maybe in the future, shows might capture other aspects of games. It be interesting how people incorporate little things like grinding (which might be very difficult), hoarding potions, carrying loot to sell and just generally gaming with friends. We can only await and see.

[@rburuck]

One of your best videos. Thank you for this great analysis

[@LilShrooms]

great analysis… definitely agree with this concept of qualia and fallout being the first show to truly imitate this feeling video games give you on screen

[@ralfyman]

You don't make a video adaptation of a game. Rather, you make a TV show or movie based on the story given in a game. That's because the two genres are not the same.

[@dethkon]

Do you think it’s because one media is interactive (games) and the other is interpassive (film)?

[@laxett]

That's literally what an adaptation means.

[@Loki-]

What show/movie does it right?

[@dethkon]

@@laxett I believe that both what he and our video-essayist are pointing to is the extreme difficulty, though perhaps not impossibility, of adapting interactive gameplay for the interpassive screen (Lacan), compared to simply *basing* a film on the stories, characters, plot points, dialogues, etc. of the game, but NOT the feel of gameplay, just as one would do from other passive media such as literature. I’m surprised that no one has brought up _Bandersnatch_ yet, Netflix’ attempt from a couple years ago to adapt (not base) a “choose your own adventure” book to their streaming platform. I thought it was largely successful and interesting.

[@dethkon]

@@Loki- Fallout, according to this video

[@bobbyross7407]

Omfg this man has a beautiful way to explain things. His choice of vocabulary and way he makes it clear to comprehend

[@lofi.cinema]

Great video Tom! Imagine a VR movie you watch while running on a treadmill, with a running sequence that matches your pace. Like a blend of entertainment, fitness, and storytelling. It could be the ultimate storytelling engagement, like what video games provide but even more enhanced. Hmm, maybe I should make a video essay on this 🤔 It could even give rise to a completely new type of movie experience, where you're physically engaged with the story...

[@Loki-]

That just sounds like a VR demo that would be fun to do once. I'm interested in hearing how you would make that enjoyable in multiple genres, repeatedly.

[@lofi.cinema]

@@Loki- Well, that’s a good question. Hmm...

[@waymire01]

This actually exists, just not in VR due to safety reasons.

[@ShroudedFigure]

The last of us bill episode is seriously my favorite episode out of any tv show in the last 10 years, it's so impactful and well acted that you can't help but feel like you are a part of their relationship, it genuinely made me cry, like I lost my significant other, best red con ever made to any media ever.

[@vonneely1977]

Most video game adaptations begin with their MC already at their power apex, but in Fallout we get to watch our two MCs level up from zeros to heroes over the course of the show. The gear upgrades along the way are just secondary visual ties to their skill & experience gains.

[@solkanar512]

Lots of other adaptations did the same thing.

[@westrim]

I mean, it depends on the game/ adaptation. Halo failed in part because it didn't understand that Master Chief is ALWAYS at his apex, period. When it took off his helmet and dragged him down into their plot, it broke what Master Chief was.

[@j.f.fisher5318]

what I find interesting is I think we also see the main antagonist starting out as a rank noob. Maybe not the antagonist of the show, but I'd be willing to bet a driving force of the broader franchise.

[@Nimno74]

One of the best commentaries I have ever watched about the subject of video games.

[@marshmallowpeeps241]

I see YOU, sneaking in some Mass Effect there around 26:24!🎉😊❤❤

[@joshuaboudreau5258]

I now understand something I never knew existed. Fantastic feeling. Well put together analysis.

[@zyonhenderson67]

I'll watch the vid soon, but I'll say that Arcane, Last of Us, Edgerunners and Fallout are phenomenal examples of adapting games. The thing each of these adaptations focused on was world building. Adapting the story isnt enough. We need to understand the world, why characters act the way they are in that world. Of course Sonic, Barbie and Uncharted dont need as much depth. But it needs to be character driven

[@R3TR0J4N]

Arcane, Edgerunners, and Fallout were adaptation I didn't expect, and for being reliant solemnly on world building and lore. I 1st thought most adaptations would be linear story driven games and add up the success of TLOU since it already had the essentials (mocap, pacing, cinematics, established characters, etc..)

[@ZargX76]

Came here to mention Arcane specifically. Unbelievable masterpiece of a show.

[@dethkon]

Nice guesses, he mentions two. But here LSOO takes a much different, highly original theory that revolves around a kind of adaptation (but not simulation) of _gameplay._ Another commentator compared it to the difference between “basing” a film on a game instead of “adapting” a game to film.

[@zyonhenderson67]

@@ZargX76 No seriously! Its a marvel everytime I watch it. It makes no sense how they managed to make it so damn goof

[@nachgeben]

That said, Arcane and Edgerunners do not appear as welcoming as they might truly be. People not invested in the games immediately perceive those as locked out to them. It would take knowing fans or watching a trusted online creator to tell them the door is open to them. I don't really agree that Last of Us is a good adaptation, but it does feel vastly more accessible on its cover than Arcane or Edgerunners.

[@NormanDimmick]

I really felt that ending point about how great adaptations allow us to share stories we love with people who don't play video games. Both my brother and I have agreed from the moment we started playing it that our mom would *adore* Red Dead Redemption 2 if it was just wasn't a video game (and a damn long one at that), and it's really a shame that there's no easy way to share with her a story we know she'd love. It really makes me appreciate good adaptations all the more.

[@freedomsflame688]

I loved the section exploring the ways in which movies sometimes feel like games, I remember watching John Wick 3 for the first time and the sequence where the hotel gets raided had this inexplicable game feel to it that was different from the rest of the action. When they went back to the armory to grab better guns really captured that feeling of being underleveled in a game and coming back later.

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

I love this so much. It perfectly captures _why_ I replay Fallout: New Vegas so often. I know how the stories go, almost by heart now. There’s nothing really _new_ about the experience that’s pulling me back in. I know my builds, I know where to go for the gear I need, I know all the fastest shortcuts to get money, power, and more before anyone has a chance to even think about stopping me. The main quest is an annoyance I have to deal with when I need certain items or for specific areas and events to open up. But I still go back to that game. Because when I play it, I _am_ The Courier, and I’m going to shape the Mojave the way I see fit, no matter who or what stands in my way. It’s a unique experience regardless of how well I know its plot points and twists, and that is VERY hard to communicate to film.

[@jarlbreadmaker]

I think that qualia is helped by it not being done in a super wink wink nudge nudge way, that still works without the game knowledge. Goggins himself said he purposely did not engage with the games to be a perspective outside of someone who played them, and keep it solid without the adaptation. It unlike some other adaptations that lacked people acting like that, didn't just do what the games had but properly displayed them in a differing way to match the medium.

[@marenomorgan]

So glad you included Shadow of the Colossus. That game blew my MIND as a child.

[@marwindarx4974]

You mostly picked the wrong Fallout game for referance. Fallout 4 provides the vault aesthetic and some minor things, the rest, the geographical setting, the cowboy themes, the story references are more from Fallout: New Vegas. By most to be considered the best in the series.

[@michaelpacinus242]

I just deep thrpwted a damn Billy goat

[@netherwarrior6113]

If the other reply is a bot, that’s a new one. Also I agree

[@johnnydjiurkopff]

New vegas and fallout 2 but yeah.

[@marwindarx4974]

@@johnnydjiurkopff True, I forgot to mention Fallout 2, which set the stage for most of the lore. Also Fallout1, striclty speaking, since most of the story takes place in Southern California.

[@michaelpacinus242]

@@johnnydjiurkopff you had sex?

[@NickLupercus]

This show deserves to do well simply because it felt like it was actually made by people who liked the games. I could also point out how the writing was good to the point that there was plenty of guessing for fans of the franchise and some of the tension was magnificently done, but I feel like by far the biggest point in the shows favor was it was clearly made with care to the universe.

[@macfilms9904]

I loved Last of Us & Fallout - even though I've never played video games & don't really have any interest in doing so - so making great adaptations is the only way I'll get to experience the themes & fun - I'm looking forward to season 2 of both!

[@InlandDiscoEmpire]

You people are ruining our IPs.

[@InlandDiscoEmpire]

FALLOUT does not capture the themses of the games AT ALL.

[@tomemeornottomeme1864]

@@InlandDiscoEmpire It really does, actually. You people just are never happy with anything.

[@InlandDiscoEmpire]

@@tomemeornottomeme1864 You like trash and contribute to more trash media. You people make the world a worse place.

[@tranz2deep]

Very Interesting. The Mary's Room thought experiment seems to use the format change within the movie _The Wizard of Oz_ as a basis, and it does so successfully.

[@Xauntix]

cyberpunk edge runners is another fantastic adaptation

[@petrfedor1851]

It´s often overlooked in discussions like this sadly.

[@Ilwenray85]

@@petrfedor1851 A lot of people (myself included) watched the anime before playing the videogame. Also, I think it is because it was announced before the game even released. Like two or three months in advance, if my memory works. I emotionally feel that Cyberpunk 2077 is a good expansion of Edgerunners, even if I rationally know that I have it backwards.

[@baconweave5159]

This has really challenged what I consider a good adaptation, and I thank you for that.

[@tharfagreinir]

It's kind of crazy that the Mary's Room thought experiment asks the question of whether Mary actually learns something new by going out and seeing color for herself. There are serious philosophers who say no to this question, thus denying the existence of qualia. I like that this essay just assumes that they do in fact exist and loudly affirms them. I would expect nothing less from an essayist whose philosophical outlook is generally spot on.

[@dethkon]

Can the difference in opinion about “Mary’s Room,” or rather the debate about the ontological status of Qualia and it’s usefulness in knowledge/epistemology basically come down to the old debate between rationalism and empiricism? Another example that popped into mind would be a male OB/GYN. He has no access to the “qualia” of pregnancy, assuming that it exists, but can make knowledge-claims and truth-claims about pregnancy and child birth with far more authority than a pregnant woman who has never studied the subject (which is why he can make a living as a Doctor). Does a Doctor who has experienced pregnancy and childbirth first-hand have any privileged-access to knowledge when it comes to helping someone else through their pregnancy, assuming that she was taught the exact same things as her male counterpart in medical school? I personally tend to say no, because I don’t believe that any further information can be obtained through “Qualia” in this hypothetical. All of the information is arrived at through reasoning, pedagogy, and _learned experience as a doctor; NOT as a patient._ (Sorry, philosophy is a hobby of mine!)

[@noatrope]

⁠Two things. 1) Actually, a doctor who has personally experienced what their patient seeks treatment for is more likely to able to treat them effectively. They will be more likely to be able to recognise and take seriously any unexpected data from the patient, for instance, rather than brush it off. They will be better able to communicate what the patient should expect to experience and what would be concerning. They may have a better bedside manner. 2) Knowledge-claims are not the same thing as knowledge - this is an old and well-trod distinction in philosophy and communication, the difference between know-that and know-how, and observed in practice. Institutional knowledge is lost when a mentor writes down everything they know for an apprentice to read on their own, versus when they are able to observe and correct. Governmental decisions made without the input of people who will be affected by them become disastrous. Flight simulators exist, and pilots are required to have mandatory minimum hours in them before being allowed in the cockpit. The fact that some knowledge is not as easily communicated verbally proves that not all knowledge is verbal. Hearsay is necessarily less valuable than eyewitness reports.

[@dethkon]

@@noatrope Thank you so much for your thoughtful response! I agree with most of what you said actually, I didn’t mean to imply that Qualia isn’t a potentially powerful tool towards gaining knowledge outside of pure Abstraction or Reason alone. Maybe an example of it which doesn’t involve human experience as the subject of investigation would’ve made for a better example? Something like gaining knowledge of how far an object will fly if thrown by a machine, by using Reason (Fluid dynamics, trigonometry, physics, etc) vs. throwing the object oneself, observing the mechanism or object being used, or observing the event itself; which is _not_ to say that _some_ knowledge cannot be gained by, say, the Qualia of throwing the object first-hand, or of observing it being thrown, but only that it’s seems comparatively infinitesimal when attempting to calculate for things like the trajectory, velocity, speed, and resting position of the object. I suppose that my main question is this: Does the debate over the existence (or perhaps importance is the better word?) of Qualia fall along the lines of the debate between Rationalism (the use of Reason to gain knowledge about a thing) and Empiricism (the use of sensory inputs or sense-experience to gain knowledge about a thing)? I want to make sure that I’m understanding both the theory and the debate correctly.

[@Ilwenray85]

@@dethkon I consider myself very ignorant, so feel free to ignore this if you can't tolerate how dumb this line of thought is xD And English is not my first language, so apologies for the mistakes. Very few people ask themselves (because that is not really what Jackson is asking you, even if I consider it more interesting) why Mary even cared about the theory of color to begin with? My answer to that, is perhaps to convince herself that everything was alright while being trapped in that room, even if the concept _trapped_ wasn't something she really understood... or that _color_ was related to her being there. And that would be qualia already: the understanding that something is wrong even if you can't explain why, just based on sensation alone. About your mathematic example... _It was because the apple fell, that he wondered why._ _Why apples always fall straight to the ground instead of other directions?_ I never saw it (and maybe I am completely wrong on that) as which one is more _efficient_ at transmiting knowledge. But that without qualia, there is no rational knowledge to be had from the start: you won't bother to translate that qualia=feelings to another language=logic. If you recite a bunch of mathematic formulas to me while walking under the Tower of Pisa, my question will be: _why are you telling me this?_ The answer is probably: _because I care about that stuff_ Then I will say: _oh, cool_ I don't have a qualia of being scared of the building falling on top of me, to bother to learn why is not doing it. And I will forget what you were saying in a minute, because I don't care. I hope I conveyed what I tried to say properly, even if it was something dumb that again, you are free to ignore xD

[@crewchrisme100]

Thank you! I couldn't figure out why I enjoyed the fall out show so much more than other adaptations. Watching this was like discovering a new word for a feeling that I've always had but never could express successfully.

[@AutoMattOn]

as a fan of not just fallout, but nuclear lore in general, I had reservations based on previous game adaptations, just like everyone else. and sure the first two episodes were really good - opening episodes always are, they need to get you hooked. BUT in ep3 when the squire pulled out the Precision Radiation model 111B scintillator to track the macguffin, that was when i realised they'd actually done their homework, they cared not just about the franchise, but about the creative work and the audience. it was such an obscure object of lore - the font on the manual cover is the one used in the pipboy logo in game - but also the perfect thing to include because of it's relation to the US nuclear program, it's iconic atom age chrome design and previous use in other sci-fi entertainment - including original series star trek. it's a reference that's almost kubrickian in it'ss subtelty and relevance to the fallout world. I must confess, I infodumped at my partner for like an hour afterwards. you're getting off lightly just reading this very run on paragraph. I should wind this up: the Fallout team are doing it right

[@onaraisedbeach]

The section from 17:30 - 21:30 was especially wonderful. Beautifully said and astutely observed. Parts like that are why I subbed

[@SirWussiePants]

For Superhero movies I think the difference happened when they realized that the characters are still human - with human wants and needs. When they started making a "love story", a "mystery" or a "drama" that just happens to have superheroes the quality shot up. This is why the first Christopher Reeves movie succeeded and the rest failed. For video games, yes, it is about catching the feel of the game but you still have to have real human feeling characters. All stories have to be relatable which is why Superman movies can be so dull and Batman movies can feel so rich. This is also why James Bond became comically stupid and felt so real after the "reboot" with Craig. The character became human again.

[@lee32476]

This was a really excellent exploration of what I liked about the Fallout show, that it felt like the right vibes from my hundreds of hours in the game. Qualia is an interesting concept, and I would imagine has different facets of crossover media, not just VG to Film or television. I’d be very interested in other ways it happens, like novel to film adaptations. Thanks for this, really engaging stuff.

[@dialdude3770]

Episode 2, when the ghoul was shooting everyone. I was thinking “damn, he’s good”, but when the time went all super slow mo, I was thinking “HOLY-SH!T, HE’S USING VATS!!!”

[@WhiskeyTango0420]

It's hard to imagine it could have been much better. I loved it, and it made me appreciate the games even more.

[@suddenwall]

Feels like half of the users in the comments didn't even watch LSOO's video. Depressing. Hate the show all you want, but at least engage with the video! The comments are filled with ranting walls of text but not one mention of qualia

[@bigyeticane]

I agree with this video's message. Fallout made me feel like I was playing Fallout while watching the series. Thank you for the video. It was excellent.

[@lukapetrovic412]

It truly does just work.

[@femgrem]

OH MY WORD THANK YOU SO MUCH I have had that word stuck on the tip of my tongue for months, after having a discussion with someone about the subjectivity of our individual experiences of things (in the classic example of "how do we know we see the same colours") and I KNEW there was a word for it, but for the life of me couldn't remember and it bothered me so much...but it was QUALIA! I feel so relieved to finally have it. Also, fantastic video, the new Fallout series was absolutely marvellous, as someone who HASN'T played the Fallout games, because it told a fantastic and entertaining story with excellent craft. I think the key to good videogame adaptations is to make something that can be enjoyed regardless of one's experience with the game, rather than dependent on one's pre-existing love for it. That's my take :)

[@darknessofodd]

I think you should play the original Fallout. Most people forget about the old story of Fallout, and it saddens me to watch the original legacy of Fallout and the great story it holds begin to fade into obscurity. The original story was about the fall of civilization and the beginning of a new dark age, things have changed, and the wasteland holds many secrets, but the way the new games and the show adopts the original source material is completely stupid, they keep putting the same old crap in there games and show no interest or regard putting cool ideas and stories into there world. The original game already had a world meanwhile the new games and show is the death of that world.

[@InlandDiscoEmpire]

Normies have ruined EVERYTHING.

[@darknessofodd]

True.

[@mysampleid]

Based

[@Hifuutorian]

Fallout 2 did that to itself. You guys need to get over the fact that your idea of what a cRPG from 1997 was like is the end-all be-all of Fallout.

[@darknessofodd]

Talking about the story, not the genre of the game. The world of Fallout is very big, and they can do so much more with it. I just question myself, why keep focusing on a specific plot in the story that has already been solved, many times before.

[@julianakarasawa315]

The Ghoul going "thou shalt be distracted by bullshit every time" while begrudgingly going to do the thing is every veteran player's reaction to a boring side quest with good rewards 😂😂😂

[@BoughtByTheBlood]

I am an outsider here. I'm not a gamer, &, in fact, I haven't even played a video game since i was 11 years old. But maybe i can contribute something to this discussion, after all. I guess because im not a gamer, i typically don't like video game adaptation movies, although im a big fan of fantasy & scifi movies & adore anime & American animation. Video game movies, for some reason, always seem "flat" or "two-dimensional" to me in ways even animation (which literally IS flat & two-dimensional) is. I want to like the stories & the action sequences are usually awesome, but the movies always make me feel like an outsider, like i just "can't get" the "vibe" or "life" of the story. And that feeling is what makes me lose interest & even get frustrated with the movies i have watched & usually avoid the live-action ones when they are released for this reason. I find this odd because i dont read comic books, either, but have really enjoyed all the DC Comic & Marvel movies ive seen. Anyway, ill leave this subject to the experts. I hope this contributed something you can use. Thanks for reading!

[@hgman3920]

If you haven't already watched the Fallout series, I think you'd really like it for this very reason. It's not all easter eggs and inside references with a plot like which assume you are familiar with the lore. By making one of the characters a "starting characte4r" in game terms, the show introduces the viewer to the story in exactly the same way a game does. (which also reinforces the qualia of the show vis a vis the game). I've never played a Fallout game myself. The closest I've ever come is watching my son play, but the show does an awesome job of drawing even non-players into the story.

[@the-real-max-power]

​@@hgman3920 I think the problem remains that most video game stories aren't very good. And I love Fallout, especially New Vegas, but I don't play these games for the story, not the main quest specifically, but to be immersed in a world and the characters and to shape both with my actions. This can't be replicated in a series or movie. And the point stands that there are not many stories in video games that are realy on par with great books or movies. Some indies come to mind (Disco Elysium, Undertale, The cat lady), but most stories don't hold up on their own.

[@BoughtByTheBlood]

@hgman3920 Thanks! I'll check into this series. I really hope this one's different from the ones I'm familiar with cuz there are lots of really cool games out there I think I'd really like to watch a movie about, but then I sorta get lost in all the stuff I don't know. If this series is different & gers it right, I hope other games follow their example with their own movies from now on. Here's hoping!

[@StarAllKungfu]

Freaking amazing videos like this are freely available. Thanks for sharing.