Fallout 4

[NickAragua]

I'd love to see a Fallout game set in the northeast. In terms of exploration and sightseeing, I enjoyed Fallout 3 (but not its boring, linear DLC) a lot more than New Vegas - it's one of the very few games where I would see a random landmark off in the distance, forget whatever stupid fedex quest I was on and go explore. Do I recognize that? Have I been there? How has it changed from what I remember seeing? New Vegas was enjoyable, but when you nuke a desert, it's still a desert.

So bring on the north east! Except NYC, 'cause it doesn't need a post-nuclear makeover, it looks ugly enough as it is. ZING!

[Rumpy]

My guess is that it will use a more optimized and improved version of the engine used in Skyrim. Makes sense, as they like to share engines between Elder Scrolls and Fallout, as Fallout 3 and NV both used the one used for Oblivion, and they haven't yet had a chance to use Skyrim's for Fallout yet.

Well, if that's the case... I'd suspect the game won't tax our rigs as much as I'd actually hope. I've noticed that some of the new titles coming out for the next-gen consoles are playing both sides by also releasing versions for the older consoles (PS3/Xbox 360) too. Makes me wonder if they'll do that with Fallout 4 as well...

Which, if true, is a disappointment. I want to play a truly "next generation" Bethesda RPG, one that makes use of multi-cores and is designed to work with multiple megs of memory (with innovative gameplay only possible with that sort of new tech). Turtle mentioned Watch Dog, and that's a good example of this problem - although a brand new "next gen" property, it's coming out on the older consoles too. In the press previews, it's being called a "current gen experience":

It's par for the course though this early in with the new consoles. Until developers start to solely program for these consoles, then we'll have what I like to call bridgegap games. But keep in mind that the engines that they've been using have been highly scaleable. Skyrim doesn't look too shabby on the PC, and I expect the developers to scale the engine for next-gen which would then end up looking more like its PC counterpart, so in a sense, I think it could still look next-gen. Also, it's entirely possible that it will only end up on PC and next-gen consoles. That would give an incentive for people to upgrade to the new ones. Skyrim's engine is a pretty good one, and I think there's still life out of it for them to squeeze out of it. To me, it's Oblivion's/Fallout3/NV's engine that I find feels dated.

On the PC side of things, they'll just keep making the engine look better. Good example is how it looks in Oblivion vs how it looks in the Fallout games. And if in the end that's not good enough, there's always the HD texture packs that come out afterwards.

[Kelric]

One of these days I'll get to FNV. Maybe after my current Terraria kick.

[AjD]

It's par for the course though this early in with the new consoles. Until developers start to solely program for these consoles, then we'll have what I like to call bridgegap games. But keep in mind that the engines that they've been using have been highly scaleable. Skyrim doesn't look too shabby on the PC, and I expect the developers to scale the engine for next-gen which would then end up looking more like its PC counterpart, so in a sense, I think it could still look next-gen. Also, it's entirely possible that it will only end up on PC and next-gen consoles. That would give an incentive for people to upgrade to the new ones. Skyrim's engine is a pretty good one, and I think there's still life out of it for them to squeeze out of it. To me, it's Oblivion's/Fallout3/NV's engine that I find feels dated.

On the PC side of things, they'll just keep making the engine look better. Good example is how it looks in Oblivion vs how it looks in the Fallout games. And if in the end that's not good enough, there's always the HD texture packs that come out afterwards.

Bridge gap games. I like that. I suppose it makes sense, profit-wise, for the developers (bigger market share plus it's less risky).

But on that note - wasn't Oblivion originally one of the "killer app" launch titles on the Xbox 360? I don't recall an original Xbox (non-360) bridge gap version being released too. Point being, Oblivion was pretty darn revolutionary in its day - and as a result, its hardware demands meant it couldn't be run on the earlier console iterations. But I suppose those were different days, and different tech. Still... it would be so cool if Bethesda did something similar with Fallout 4 - a whole new echelon of RPG, and only playable on the new tech. Would surely sell a ton of consoles.

I suspect though that Fallout 4 is not that "next-gen killer RPG" app I'm pining for. The sequel to Skyrim, on the other hand....

[El Guapo]

I would love to see a Fallout game set outside of the Americas, though. Preferably Europe, though Australia might be interesting too.

[Blackhawk]

Somewhere with a viable combination of urban and natural environments would be nice, preferably somewhere where the natural environments could include something other than flat wasteland and/or desert.

/edit - Louisiana. Take us to New Orleans.

[Sepiche]

I've always thought a Fallout set in China would have the most potential for interesting story elements... perhaps they had their version of vaults, secret weapon programs that might have changed the course of the great war, descendants of US infiltrators, etc.

[Arkon]

Somewhere with a viable combination of urban and natural environments would be nice, preferably somewhere where the natural environments could include something other than flat wasteland and/or desert.

/edit - Louisiana. Take us to New Orleans.

Trudging through post apocalyptic swamps...count me in!

[Blackhawk]

Apparently there was a code on the teaser site that translated to:

Code: Select all

MY DEAR SISTER. I’M HEADING TO THE INSTITUTE. GOD KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PLACE NOW. THIS OLD BASTARD WILL HELP US. HE MUST HELP US. –0321–”

That backs up the MIT theory.

[AjD]

Yes, the teaser site continues to tease. Here's the latest update in full:

It now bares the rather complex code of: "ZL/QRNE/FVFGRE./V'Z/URNQVAT/GB/GUR/VAFGVGHGR./TBQ/XABJF/JUNG/UNCCRARQ/GB/GUVF/CYNPR/ABJ./GUVF/BYQ/ONFGNEQ/JVYY/URYC/HF./UR/ZHFG/URYC/HF./--0321--"

This translates to:
"MY DEAR SISTER. I’M HEADING TO THE INSTITUTE. GOD KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PLACE NOW. THIS OLD BASTARD WILL HELP US. HE MUST HELP US. –0321–"

At one point if you highlighted the text on the page, before the new code appeared, the site said: “Nuclear winter is coming. Reserve your future home today! 877-260-2299″. If you called this American number you were met with a recorded message that plays the Tranquility Lane music from Fallout 3.

However, this phone number is now inactive.

The site then offered the phrase "###PERMISSION DENIED BY OVERSEER (15334) ###" when you hovered over the text, but this has gone too now.

You have to admit, Bethesda is doing a really good job of teasing Fallout 4 and has certainly riled up the Fallout fans ahead of an official announcement.

Could "THE INSTITUTE" mean MIT (in Boston)? Hmmm...

[El Guapo]

Could "THE INSTITUTE" mean MIT (in Boston)? Hmmm...

[Scuzz]

Yeh, it'll probably mean a computer upgrade for me.

Me too. My machine is okay now but I am sure the first "new generation" (post new console) game I buy will crash it.

[miltonite]

Somewhere with a viable combination of urban and natural environments would be nice, preferably somewhere where the natural environments could include something other than flat wasteland and/or desert.

/edit - Louisiana. Take us to New Orleans.

Trudging through post apocalyptic swamps...count me in!

If you want swamps then New Orleans is not going to fit your needs. You would need to go further south.

[NickAragua]

I would love to see a Fallout game set outside of the Americas, though. Preferably Europe, though Australia might be interesting too.

That'd be cool. More importantly, there are developers who've done it successfully before: the Stalker and Metro 2033 series both do an excellent job of portraying a post-apocalyptic Ukraine and Moscow respectively.

That being said, I'm having trouble believing that Bethesda can deliver an authentic-feeling Fallout game set outside the US. Part of the awesomeness of Fallout 3 was the "1950s gone wrong" vibe that you got when picking through the ruins of DC. The stuff you find is unmistakably American (the cookie-cutter suburban houses, diners with jukeboxes, supermarkets). 1950s Europe just didn't look like that. So, hopefully they either contract the artwork out to somebody familiar with the time period, or do a *lot* of research before undertaking a project like that.

[El Guapo]

do an excellent job of portraying a post-apocalyptic Ukraine

Did they use current footage from the Ukraine?

Commonwealth of Independent States zing!

[Isgrimnur]

Depending on the timeline, part of early 50's Europe might still be bombed out from WWII. It would be interesting to see an area where you get pre-WWII ruins next to ruins that look like they would have been brand new when things went pear-shaped.

[NickAragua]

do an excellent job of portraying a post-apocalyptic Ukraine

Did they use current footage from the Ukraine?

Commonwealth of Independent States zing!

They sure did (sorry about the slideshow): http://content.time.com/time/photogalle ... 10,00.html" target="_blank

[AjD]

Well now... the Internets is blowing up over this. Hype train hitching itself to the speculation caboose.

FWIW, here's io9's well thought take on what all these hints might mean (mildly spoiler-y, if you haven't played Fallout 3):

Spoiler:

In case you don't remember, The Institute is a location which has been mentioned before within the Fallout series, both in Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 3.

The Institute lies within the Commonwealth, which, pre-war, was known as Massachusetts. The Institute itself has been around since before the war, at which point is was know by the name "Massachusetts Institute of Technology." Robert House attended there in the Fallout lore, apparently.

The Commonwealth, from what we know of it so far, has been portrayed as one of the harshest areas in the world, even by Fallout standards. Irradiated, destroyed, ravaged by raiders and various factions vying for control, it's a brutal place. The one exception to this, however, is The Institute, which is under strict martial law, and which uses sentient, true A.I. androids as slave labor, but which is nonetheless safe for those who are able to get into it.

The Institute was mentioned in Fallout 3 during the quest "The Replicated Man," as a scientist from the Institute, Doctor Zimmer, and his bodyguard hired the Lone Wanderer to track down an escaped android for them. During this quest the Lone Wanderer encountered a member of another faction who had come from the Commonwealth, Victoria Watts. Watts was a member of "The Railroad," who, inspired by the real-life underground railroad, smuggled enslaved androids away from the controls of their masters, to safety.

So here's what we can gather so far. Survivor 2299, which is most likely Fallout 4, will almost certainly take place in the Commonwealth, among the wreckage of Boston and the surrounding areas, and will likely feature heavily both the Institute and the Railroad within its main storyline (if I had to guess you'll probably be able to choose which to side with, but that's my own inference, no more). The player character will also probably be referred to as "The Survivor," likely after "surviving" some sort of catastrophe during the game's prologue (I'm taking bets on whether the disaster will be set in a vault, my money is on "yes"), and the game will be set in 2299, 18 years after Fallout: New Vegas (which, itself, was set four years after Fallout 3).

Makes sense to me. But if this is all some sort of well-orchestrated hoax, we're going to feel pretty silly in a little while...

[Fitzy]

I need to pay better attention when playing. Two play throughs of Fallout 3 and I still thought the Commonwealth was Canada.

[Sarkus]

Depending on the timeline, part of early 50's Europe might still be bombed out from WWII. It would be interesting to see an area where you get pre-WWII ruins next to ruins that look like they would have been brand new when things went pear-shaped.

Remember, the nukes flew in the Fallout universe in 2077. The whole concept of the setting is that its an alternate timeline starting sometime near the end of WW2 (at least that is what Chris Avellone said when he created the Fallout Bible back in the latter days of Interplay/Black Isle) but where what happened next was the sci-fi future as imagined by the futurists of the 1940s and 1950s. So you get a 50s America insipired sci-fi world (big robots, the wonders of nuclear energy, etc) that gets nuked a hundred or so years later.

Now outside of what little we know about Canada and few other places, what the world even before the nukes flew was like outside of the US is pretty much completely undefined. By definition, an alternate timeline means its pretty wide open. But Europe would be in pretty bad shape, since the timeline does tell us that starting in the 2050s they got involved in a long war over scarce resources with Middle-Eastern powers. That's also around the time when plagues start happening in the Fallout universe (the Supermutant virus started off as an antidote to a global plague), so there likely wasn't much in Europe by the time the nukes fell.

For reference, the Fallout Wiki has a timeline based on what the various games have told us about the history of the universe its in. While Bethesda can vary from that if it wants to, they have at least publically said they view Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 as mostly canon, and various indications are that they view a big chunk of Fallout Tactics as canon as well. Which is why they insist on moving the games forward in time under their watch, so that they don't have to reconcile past canon. Even if a Fallout 3 set in 2161 (the year Fallout 1 begins) would have been a nice way for Bethesda to start their control of the franchise.

[Blackhawk]

Ok, then. Give us Seattle. Use the 2077 (50s style) World's Fair as the basis for the local society and give us a post-apocalyptic Jetsons.

[AjD]

Jeez, Bethesda... your killing me. Latest totally cryptic message from the teaser site has been released - and who knows what it means. Details are...

A new code has popped up and Fallout 4 fans rallied to decipher the latest teaser which reads:

VGNR [CAP] – ***? – LET- GRZ XJG XRS FWZZR GOS UIEG SII GZVZI || GRZ SAW XRS SAZZ XJG DZVB GRZ XUJIZ

This new code is not using the same cypher as yesterday’s so it’s taken some time to figure out. According to the people who have been attempting this one it spits out a couple of dates translating to:

one two two seven two zero one three || one one two five two zero one three

So there are apparently two dates revealed, the first date arrive on Monday (11/25/2013) so could that mean more of a reveal at the start of next week? The second date is more of a mystery (12/27/2013) and it falls at a rather weird time between Christmas and New Year.

So the first date is THIS MONDAY. At least we'll get some news sooner than later.

[WarPig]

Hey the second date is my anniversary. Maybe I should be asking for Fallout 4 as my gift...

[AjD]

Fallout 4 Trailer audio potentially leaked; Is this the new Fallout theme song?

[Grifman]

Depending on the timeline, part of early 50's Europe might still be bombed out from WWII. It would be interesting to see an area where you get pre-WWII ruins next to ruins that look like they would have been brand new when things went pear-shaped.

But Fallout doesnt' take place during the 50's. It has that retro 50's look but actually takes place much later. WW2 begins 2078 or so, and Fallout starts in 2160.

[mori]

Outside the US? How about Rio de Janeiro? A jungle reclaiming the landscape would certainly tax a system. With the Olympics and World Cup upcoming to the area, it would be relevant to an international audience.

[Blackhawk]

But Fallout doesnt' take place during the 50's. It has that retro 50's look but actually takes place much later. WW2 begins 2078 or so, and Fallout starts in 2160.

WW3, I think you meant. WW2 took place before Fallout history split from ours.

[Daehawk]

Settings huh? Hmmm.

In the US I'd like to see Chicago or New York.

Outside the US then Scotland with it's castles and such. Or maybe even better Paris or London.

[Archinerd]

I'd love to see a Fallout game set in the northeast. In terms of exploration and sightseeing, I enjoyed Fallout 3 (but not its boring, linear DLC) a lot more than New Vegas - it's one of the very few games where I would see a random landmark off in the distance, forget whatever stupid fedex quest I was on and go explore. Do I recognize that? Have I been there? How has it changed from what I remember seeing? New Vegas was enjoyable, but when you nuke a desert, it's still a desert.

So bring on the north east! Except NYC, 'cause it doesn't need a post-nuclear makeover, it looks ugly enough as it is. ZING!

My problem with Fallout 3's setting was not that it was set out East, but that it didn't look like a wasteland. It looked like a junkyard, which was a big immersion breaker for me. The resident's of Megaton really couldn't find anything else to build their town out of? All they had to do was walk another 100 feet and there is a school, a big box store, several highway overpasses, burnt out houses (with usable lumber) etc. to use for building materials. New Vegas wasn't perfect in this either, but since there were larger expanses of nothing (which some people don't like) I think it made the set pieces better and slightly more believable. Like music, the spaces between (the notes) are just as important.

Anyway, cautiously optimistic about FO4. I disliked FO3 so much and was incredibly surprised to discover how much I enjoyed FONV.

[Grifman]

But Fallout doesnt' take place during the 50's. It has that retro 50's look but actually takes place much later. WW2 begins 2078 or so, and Fallout starts in 2160.

WW3, I think you meant. WW2 took place before Fallout history split from ours.

Yep, typo

[TheMix]

My problem with Fallout 3's setting was not that it was set out East, but that it didn't look like a wasteland. It looked like a junkyard, which was a big immersion breaker for me. The resident's of Megaton really couldn't find anything else to build their town out of? All they had to do was walk another 100 feet and there is a school, a big box store, several highway overpasses, burnt out houses (with usable lumber) etc. to use for building materials.

Well crap. Oddly enough, that hadn't even occurred to me. But now I'm stuck on "who the hell builds a town around a hole in the ground with a bomb and radiated water???" Thanks.

Luckily I beat the game a couple of times and don't have a pressing need to play it again.

[AjD]

My problem with Fallout 3's setting was not that it was set out East, but that it didn't look like a wasteland. It looked like a junkyard, which was a big immersion breaker for me. The resident's of Megaton really couldn't find anything else to build their town out of? All they had to do was walk another 100 feet and there is a school, a big box store, several highway overpasses, burnt out houses (with usable lumber) etc. to use for building materials.

Well crap. Oddly enough, that hadn't even occurred to me. But now I'm stuck on "who the hell builds a town around a hole in the ground with a bomb and radiated water???"

Well, I'd say all the Fallout games are pretty fanciful and fall into the "don't think too hard about the logic here or it'll fall apart" category, but that said...

According to the Fallout Wiki, that Atomic bomb cult (Church of the Atom) was instrumental in getting the city built and wanted it located around the bomb. So at least there's some attempt at internal story logic (albeit admittedly pretty silly - but it's a nice apocalyptic genre shout-out to the second Planet of the Apes movie).

From the Wiki:

The Church of the Children of the Atom seems to have existed as far back as Megaton's construction, as Manya mentions that they were instrumental in getting the town built. The citizens of Megaton do not mind them residing there as their technologies and workforce were needed to build the city, in exchange for it being "built around the bomb.

Also, the city was built using spare parts scavenged from the nearby airport. So, you know, they did use what was locally available. And who says a wasteland has to be empty like a desert - it can certainly look like a junkyard too. 'Wasteland' pretty much describes half of Detroit, and these days people use that term to describe the Motor City all the time.

Personally, I find an urban "junkyard wasteland" more interesting as a post-apocalyptic game setting than a rural "desert wasteland" - more places to explore, more visually impressive, etc. I realize Bethesda changed to this kind of "urban ruins" focus when Fallout 3 came out (and it was controversial for some F1/2 fans), but IMHO it makes sense, gameworld-wise. I do agree though that New Vegas had a more gripping story (with more meaningful consequences, better drawn characters, etc). Perhaps in the next game, the gameworld will be so big they can include some of both wasteland types.

[Archinerd]

Also, the city was built using spare parts scavenged from the nearby airport. So, you know, they did use what was locally available.

Yes, but why build from old airplanes form the nearby airport when there are other perfectly good building materials closer? We know Megaton isn't built on the location of the airport, there is no way a runway would fit there.

And who says a wasteland has to be empty like a desert - it can certainly look like a junkyard too. 'Wasteland' pretty much describes half of Detroit, and these days people use that term to describe the Motor City all the time. .

I do. In my mind, 200 years after a nuclear war several things would have happened. All usable resources would have been scavenged by any local survivors, anything that is not durable (wooden houses) would have rotted or burned, and people would be living in better constructions than tin shacks in (mostly) un-walled settlements. Its not that hard to make bricks or concrete, and survivors and subsequent generations would either learn or die.

I know Fallout has never been 'realistic' but until Fallout 3 it wasn't an issue for me. The limited top down isometric graphics form the first 2 allowed my imagination to fill in the gaps. Fallout 3's change of perspective makes this much more difficult, and the world just was not convincing to me. New Vegas was a little bit more convincing to me because of the wide open desolate spaces. I know its a lot of game world real estate was taken up with nothing in it, but for me that nothing was important. FO & FO2 accomplished the same thing by allowing us to 'skip' the boring barren landscape with the minimap travel. Which totally worked for me. I know that stuff is out there, but the game is only showing me the landmarks and attractions.

So, maybe I'm just being nit picky, but I'm curious to see how Fallout 4 handles this.

[Blackhawk]

They aren't trying to create a realistic portrait of human survival. They're trying to work with the Mad Maxian visual style of over the top scavenged bits and pieces stuck together in an absurd way. As to concrete? When Rome fell, it took us a thousand years to figure out how to make it again. It is reasonable to assume that there was a 'dark age' in Fallout, a few generations between the bombs and the slow rebuilding of society.

[Archinerd]

I know its not supposed to be realistic, I'm just looking for somewhat plausible.

List of Factions that likely know how to make concrete or have access to the knowledge:
Brotherhood of Steel
Followers of the Apocalypse
Some Vaults
The Enclave
Mr. House

I'm willing to concede this one though. The point is they could be welding the seems of metal walls or building things from stone or any number of materials more durable than corrugated metal and 2x4's. At the very least, make yourselves some nice sleeping bags out of Golden Gecko pelts instead of sleeping on stained pre-war beds!

[AjD]

Well, like it or loathe it.... something is going to be revealed in about 6 days & 28 minutes. Teaser site now says....

"Nuclear winter is coming..."

...and shows a countdown timer that expires around lunchtime (EST) this Sunday. If this was a fake, Bethesda would surely have quashed it by now. This is for realz, folks.

Also, for those who prefer more natural topographic features with their Fallout: there was a code on the teaser site two days ago that translated to:

The quabbin reservoir is seven zero four two two nine nine

Massachusetts natives probably already know that the Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. So, I can only speculate that Fallout 4 will feature:

- Improvised watercraft pieced together from leftover lumber and auto parts
- Mutated radioactive sea monsters
- A new sub-race of aquatic bandits straight out of Kevin Costner's Waterworld
- An awesome secret underwater government base filled with who-knows-what.

Yummy stuff... I can hardly wait.

(Also, the real Quabbin is some 18 miles long, 36 sq. miles in total size. And it's 65 miles west of Boston - so this implies a large game world, with both rural and urban areas to explore. Something for everyone, perhaps?)

[Archinerd]

Mr. Handy probably knows how to make concrete too, how else is he supposed to build your family fallout shelter in the back yard?

[Rumpy]

My problem with Fallout 3's setting was not that it was set out East, but that it didn't look like a wasteland. It looked like a junkyard, which was a big immersion breaker for me.

I don't really get this complaint. The D.C area is a massive urban environment. I don't see how it could have been anything other than an urban wasteland. It fits to me. I would have been more disappointed if it hadn't been that way.

[Archinerd]

My problem with Fallout 3's setting was not that it was set out East, but that it didn't look like a wasteland. It looked like a junkyard, which was a big immersion breaker for me.

I don't really get this complaint. The D.C area is a massive urban environment. I don't see how it could have been anything other than an urban wasteland. It fits to me. I would have been more disappointed if it hadn't been that way.

This was once an urban area too.


But even everything outside of the DC area was overly cluttered for my taste. I'm clearly in the minority on this though.

[Scuzz]

Ok, then. Give us Seattle. Use the 2077 (50s style) World's Fair as the basis for the local society and give us a post-apocalyptic Jetsons.

I was thinking Fallout Northeast as well. With Portland, Seattle and Vancouver there are plenty of places for neat destroyed things.



EDIT>>>>That should be Northwest.