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Fallout (franchise)

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Fallout Series
File:Fallout logo.PNG
Developer(s)Black Isle Studios
Micro Forte
Bethesda Game Studios
Obsidian Entertainment
Masthead Studios
Publisher(s)Interplay Entertainment
14 Degrees East
Bethesda Softworks
Platform(s)DOS, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360
First releaseFallout
September 30, Template:Vgy

Fallout is a series of computer role-playing games (CRPGs) published by Interplay and later by Bethesda Softworks. Although set in and after the 22nd and 23rd century, its retrofuturistic story and artwork are influenced by the post-war culture of 1950s America, and its combination of hope for the promises of technology and lurking fear of nuclear annihilation.

The first two titles in the series (Fallout and Fallout 2) were developed by Black Isle Studios. Micro Forté and 14 Degrees East's Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel of 2001 was a tactical role-playing game[clarification needed]. In 2004, Interplay closed Black Isle Studios,[1] and continued to produce an action game with RPG elements for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel without Black Isle Studios. A third entry in the main series, Fallout 3, was released in 2008 by Bethesda Softworks. Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment with many former Black Isle employees who created Fallout and Fallout 2. Bethesda made it clear that New Vegas was not a direct sequel to Fallout 3, but an addition to the franchise.[2]

Bethesda Softworks now owns the rights to make all Fallout games,[3][4] and has conditionally licensed the rights to make a massively multiplayer online role-playing game version of Fallout to Interplay. Interplay's rights to developing and publishing Fallout Online have been the subject of a legal dispute between Bethesda Softworks, the current owner of the Fallout franchise, and Interplay. The current legal status of the game is unknown however it is in active development, with a projected release date of 2012.[5]

Setting

Background

The background story of Fallout (the first of the series) involves a United States alternate history scenario which diverges from reality following World War II. The transistor was invented just before the Great War (the nuclear war that creates the post-apocalyptic setting), while vacuum tubes and atomic physics became the cornerstones to scientific progress, eventually achieving the technological aspirations of the early Atomic Age and locking society into a 1950s cultural stasis. Thus, in this alternative "Golden Age", a bizarre socio-technological status quo emerges, in which advanced robots, nuclear-powered cars, directed-energy weapons and other futuristic technologies are seen alongside 1950s-era computers, telephones and typewriters, and the aesthetics and Cold War paranoia of the 1950s continue to dominate the American lifestyle well into the 21st century.

The federal government organizes the states into 13 commonwealths to promote economic stability, but this only divides the U.S. as they put their own ambitions before those of the nation. Tensions rise over the next century due to an increasing energy crisis caused by the depletion of petroleum reserves, leading to the "Resource Wars": a series of events over the next few decades which included a Europe-Middle East war, the disbanding of the United Nations, the U.S. annexation of Canada and a Chinese invasion and military occupation of Alaska. These eventually culminated in the 2077 Great War, a cataclysmic nuclear exchange that lasted for only two hours, and subsequently created the post-apocalyptic setting of Fallout.

Having foreseen this outcome decades earlier, the U.S. government had begun a nationwide project, "Project Safehouse" in 2054 to build fallout shelters known as "Vaults" which would officially house privileged segments of the population within. In reality and unknown to most of their inhabitants, a large number were actually built for human subject research - a concept created by the game developer Timothy Cain and the reasoning of which remains mostly unanswered in the games, though some design documents reference possible reasons for the experiments. Each was built to help test something in some way, ranging from overpopulation to deliberate radioactive contamination.

Vaults

The Vaults were ostensibly designed by the government contractor Vault-Tec as public shelters, financed by junk bonds and each able to support up to a thousand people. Since each Vault is self-sufficient, they could in theory sustain their inhabitants indefinitely. However, the Vault project was never intended as a viable method of repopulating the United States in case of a nuclear holocaust. For that purpose, around 400,000 vaults were needed, but only 122 were commissioned and constructed. Each of the Vaults, as hallmarks of a massive, secret and unethical social experiment, were designed to determine the effects of different environmental and psychological conditions on its inhabitants. These tests ranged from being plausibly practical (Vault 13, for example, was designed to keep its inhabitants isolated for far longer than necessary while Vault 27 had twice the standard number of residents to study the effects of overcrowding) to being bizarrely esoteric (Vault 106 had psychoactive drugs released into the air ten days after being sealed while Vault 77 had a single resident and a crate of puppets). A few control Vaults were made to function as advertised (such as Vault 3, Vault 8 and Vault 76) to contrast with the data from the Vaults with intentional flaws. Of the 122 vaults commissioned only 17 of these were control, or met the public's expectations. Nevertheless, many Vaults had their experiments derailed due to unexpected events (Vault 13 for example, was opened much earlier than expected due to a defective water chip).

Post-war conditions

In the years following the Great War, the United States, and presumably everywhere else in the world, has devolved into a post-apocalyptic wasteland commonly dubbed "The Wasteland" (or "Capital Wasteland" in the case of Washington, D.C., and "The Mojave Wasteland" in the case of the post-apocalyptic version of Las Vegas). The war and subsequent nuclear fallout have severely depopulated the country, leaving large expanses of abandoned property decaying from neglect. In addition, virtually all food and water is irradiated to some degree, and radiation exposure has caused mutation in nearly all forms of life.

With a large portion of the country's infrastructure in ruins, basic necessities are scarce. Barter is the common method of exchange, with bottlecaps (usually from bottles of "Nuka-Cola") providing a more conventional form of currency. Most cities and towns are empty, having been looted and deserted in favor of smaller, makeshift communities scattered around the Wasteland.

Amidst the scattered remnants of humanity, several major factions have emerged. One is the Brotherhood of Steel, a group dedicated to the collection and preservation of pre-war knowledge and technology. The Brotherhood of Steel is a techno-religious organization, with roots in the American military and government-sponsored scientific community from before the Great War. However, despite their good intentions, the Brotherhood is reluctant to share what they know or have with others, and as a result, have started on a decline; they are lacking in numbers and often fragmented, with different chapters essentially becoming independent of the main faction. The second is the Enclave, the remnants of the pre-war government. They have access to the best technology available before the war, although they often use their own, self-designed technology instead of pre-war weapons. This is most notable in their power-armor—which is far different and superior to the best pre-war armor available, the T-51b and usage of plasma weaponry which would have been in the prototype stage pre-war. They were a totalitarian regime that sought to wipe out all mutation in the Wasteland (which, given the pervasive radiation, is every living thing on the surface). They are the main antagonists for the second and third games, but as of New Vegas, the only Enclave forces left in the Core region are the Remnant faction—a group of aging ex-patriates who were ousted from the outpost at Navarro. The third is the Raiders, a loose coalition of thieves and murderers that pillage towns for supplies and mercilessly slaughter anyone that gets in their way. Fourth, a country called the New California Republic, which is the biggest faction in post apocalyptic America. They have the biggest military in the wasteland and have the largest population. The NCR also has the capability of producing new weapons and armor. Finally, there are the Super Mutants, former humans that have been mutated by the Forced Evolutionary Virus into towering sterile mutants with incredible strength and, typically, diminished intelligence. The individual games also have smaller factions, but these four are present in almost every game.

Main series

Timeline of release years
1997 – – Fallout
1998 – – Fallout 2
1999 –
2000 –
2001 – – Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
2002 –
2003 –
2004 – – Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
2005 –
2006 –
2007 –
2008 – – Fallout 3
2009 –
2010 – – Fallout: New Vegas
2011 –
2012 – – Fallout Online

Fallout

Main article: Fallout (video game)

Released in 1997, Fallout takes place in a post-apocalyptic Southern California, beginning in the year 2161. The protagonist is tasked with recovering a water chip in the Wasteland to replace the broken chip in his or her home, Vault 13.

Fallout was originally intended to run under the GURPS role-playing game system However, a disagreement with the creator of GURPS, Steve Jackson, over the game's violent content required Black Isle Studios to develop a new system, the SPECIAL System.[6] Fallout's atmosphere and artwork are reminiscent of post-WWII America and the nuclear paranoia that was widespread at that time.

Fallout 2

Main article: Fallout 2

Fallout 2 was released in 1998. The game featured several improvements over the first game, including an improved game engine, the ability to set attitudes of non-player character (NPC) party members and the ability to push people who are blocking doors. Additional features included several changes to the game world, including significantly more pop culture jokes and parodies, such as multiple Monty Python-referencing special random encounters, and self-parodying dialogue that broke the fourth wall to mention game mechanics.

Fallout 2 takes place 80 years after Fallout, and centers around a descendant of the Vault Dweller, the protagonist of Fallout. The player assumes the role of the Chosen One as he tries to save his village, Arroyo, after several years of drought.

Van Buren (Fallout 3)

Main article: Van Buren (Fallout 3)

Van Buren was the code-name for the cancelled version of Fallout 3 developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay. It featured an improved engine, new locations, vehicles and a modified version of the SPECIAL system. The story disconnected from the Vault Dweller/Chosen One bloodline in Fallout and Fallout 2. Plans for the game included the ability to influence the various factions. The game was cancelled in December 2003 when the budget cuts forced Interplay to dismiss the PC development team. Interplay subsequently sold the Fallout intellectual property to Bethesda Softworks, who began development on their own version of Fallout 3 unrelated to Van Buren.

Van Buren is considered to be a part of the main Fallout-series, however it is considered semi-canon. Some parts of the game were incorporated into Fallout 3 and its add-ons as well as "Fallout: New Vegas".[7]

Fallout 3

Main article: Fallout 3

Fallout 3 was developed by Bethesda Softworks and released on October 28, 2008. The story picks up 30 years after the setting of Fallout 2 and 200 years after the nuclear war that devastated the game's world.[8] The player is a vault-dweller in Vault 101 whose father escapes the vault and into the Wasteland shortly after his or her 19th birthday. The vault-dweller must venture out into the Wasteland around and in Washington, D.C. dubbed the Capital Wasteland to find him. It differs from previous games in the series by utilizing 3D graphics, a free-roam gaming world, and real-time gameplay, in contrast to previous games' 2D isometric, turn-based gameplay. It was developed simultaneously for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 using the Gamebryo engine. On release it received positive reviews, garnering 94/100,[9] 92/100,[10] and 93/100[11] averages scores on Metacritic for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game, respectively.

Fallout: New Vegas

Main article: Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and released on October 19, 2010, in North America and October 22, 2010, in Europe.[12] Fallout: New Vegas is not a direct sequel to Fallout 3.[13][14] Rather, it is a stand-alone product.[13] Events in game follow four years after Fallout 3 and offer a similar role-playing experience, however, no characters from that game appear.[14] In New Vegas the player assumes the role of a courier in the post apocalyptic world of the Mojave Wasteland. As the game begins, the courier is shot and left for dead shortly before being found and brought to a doctor in the nearby town of Goodsprings, marking the start of the game and the courier's search for his or her would be murderer. The city of New Vegas is a post apocalyptic interpretation of Las Vegas with only four standing casinos. New Vegas is the first Fallout game to have several divergent possible main story lines based on the actions of the player, each of which results in a drastically different fate for the Mojave Wasteland.

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 is an upcoming game that will be created and published by Bethesda Softworks after Fallout 3 (2008). Initially, in 2004, Bethesda licensed the rights to create and publish three Fallout games from Interplay. However, in 2007, the company purchased the entire franchise, with Interplay licensing the rights to a Fallout MMORPG. [citation needed]

Pete Hines of Bethesda Softworks said: "The whole reason we went out and acquired the license and that we now own Fallout is that we clearly intended to make more than one. This is not something we're going to do once and then go away and never do it again. When that will be or how long that will be God only knows, but we acquired it specifically because we wanted to own it and develop it and work on it like we do with The Elder Scrolls."[15]

Spin-Offs

Fallout: Tactics

Main article: Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel

Tactics is the first Fallout game not to require the player to fight in a turn-based mode, and it is also the first to allow the player to customize the skills, perks, and combat actions of the rest of the party. Fallout Tactics focuses on tactical combat rather than role-playing; the new combat system included different modes, stances, and modifiers, but the player had no dialogue options. Most of the criticisms of the game came from its incompatibility with the story of the original two games, not from its gameplay. Fallout: Tactics includes a multi-player mode that allows players to compete against squads of other characters controlled by other players. Unlike the previous two games, which are based in California, Fallout: Tactics takes place in the Midwestern United States. Fallout: Tactics was released in early 2001 to mixed reviews. Although it was given high scores by reviewers (PC Gamer gave it an 85%[16]), many fans were disappointed by the game.

Fallout: Warfare

Main article: Fallout: Warfare

Fallout: Warfare is a tabletop wargame based on the Fallout Tactics storyline, using a simplified version of the SPECIAL system. The rulebook was written by Christopher Taylor, and was available on the Fallout Tactics bonus CD, together with cut-out miniatures. Fallout: Warfare features five distinct factions, vehicles, four game types, and thirty-three different units. The rules only require ten-sided dice. The modifications to the SPECIAL system allow every unit a unique set of stats and give special units certain skills they can use, including piloting, doctor, and repair. A section of the Fallout: Warfare manual allows campaigns to be conducted using the Warfare rules. The game is currently available for free online from fansite No Mutants Allowed and several other sources.

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

Main article: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel became the first Fallout game for consoles when it was released in 2004. It follows an initiate in the Brotherhood of Steel who is given a suicidal quest to find several lost Brotherhood paladins. An action role-playing game, BoS is a significant break from previous incarnations of the Fallout series, in both gameplay and style. BoS takes place in three locations: The towns of Carbon, Los, and a Vault. BoS also does not feature non-player characters that accompany the player in combat. BoS is generally not considered to be canon due to its stark contrasts and outright contradictions with the storyline of Fallout and Fallout 2.[citation needed] The game features music from heavy metal musicians, including Slipknot, Devin Townsend and Killswitch Engage, which stands in contrast to the music of the first two games, performed by The Ink Spots and Louis Armstrong. BoS was the last Fallout game to be developed by Interplay.

Fallout Online

Main article: Fallout Online

On November 30, 2006, Interplay filed a Form 8-K filing to the SEC regarding a potential Fallout massively multiplayer online game.[17] The Form 8-K contained a prospectus stating that Interplay will be issuing common stock on Euronext to raise capital for developing a Fallout MMORPG. The report stated that the production and launch processes will require an estimated US$75 million in capital. The report also stated that production may start as early as January 2007 and the game may launch as early as July 2012.[18]

In April 2007, SEC filings were made showing the transfer of the IP for the Fallout MMORPG to Fallout 3 developer Bethesda for US$5.75 million. While Bethesda now owns the rights to the Fallout MMORPG IP, clauses in the purchase agreement allow Interplay to license the rights to the development of the MMORPG, provided that development begins within 24 months of the date of the agreement (which was April 4, 2007), and that Interplay must secure $30 million within that time frame or forfeit its rights to license. Interplay must furthermore launch the MMORPG within four years of the beginning of development, and pay Bethesda 12 percent of sales and subscription fees for the use of the IP.[19]

In April 2008, Interplay announced that the Fallout MMORPG had entered production[20] and in April 2009 announced that it would be working with Masthead Studios, a Bulgarian based game developer who are currently working on Earthrise, to assist in the development of the game.[21]

In June 2009, Game Informer reported that Interplay may have lost the Fallout MMORPG rights.[22]

On September 8, 2009, Bethesda filed a lawsuit against Interplay regarding Project V13, claiming that Interplay has violated their agreement as development has not yet begun on the project.[23] However Interplay is countersuing Bethesda stating that interrupting is against their contract of the sale of the franchise thus making the sale obsolete.

Voice talent

Fallout games feature well-known actors as NPC voice-talent. Notable appearances include:

Series

Fallout

Fallout 2

Fallout 3

Fallout: New Vegas

Other

Style and influences

The Fallout series' look and feel is well represented in the user interface of the Pip-Boy computer, and the frequent occurrences of the Vault Boy character, here illustrating the Bloody Mess Trait.

The PIP-Boy and Vault Boy

The PIP-Boy (Personal Information Processor-Boy) is an iconic wrist-computer given to the player early in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas which serves various roles in quest, inventory, and battle management, as well as presenting player statistics. The model present in Fallout and Fallout 2 is identified as a PIP-Boy 2000 and is the same computer which has been inherited by the Chosen One from the Vault Dweller. Fallout Tactics contains a modified version of the 2000 model, called PIP-Boy 2000BE, while Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas uses a PIP-Boy 3000.

The Vault Boy character[24] is Vault-Tec's mascot, and is a frequently recurring element in Vault-Tec-related items in the world. This includes the PIP-Boy, where Vault Boy models all of the clothing and weaponry, and illustrates all of the character statistics and selectable attributes.[25]

Influences

Fallout draws from 1950s pulp magazines, science fiction, and superhero comic books, all rooted in Atomic Age optimism of a nuclear-powered future, though gone terribly awry by the time the events of the game take place. The technology is retro-futuristic, with various Raygun Gothic machines such as laser weaponry and boxy Forbidden Planet-style robots. Computers use vacuum tubes instead of transistors, architecture of ruined buildings feature Art Deco and Googie designs, energy weapons resemble those used by Flash Gordon, and what few vehicles remain in the world are all 1950s-styled.

Other film influences include: A Boy And His Dog, where the main character Vic and Blood scavenges the desert of the Southwestern United States, stealing for a living and evading bands of marauders, berserk androids and mutants. The Terminator series of films, from its vision of a post apocalyptic view on humanity, and the use of robots in every day life, hostile robots, and cyborgs, as well as Mad Max, with its depiction of a post apocalyptic nuclear wasteland. In the first game, one of the first available armors is a one-sleeved leather jacket that resembles the jacket worn by Mel Gibson in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. A player wearing this jacket can get a dog, named Dogmeat, after Mad Max’s dog, to join the party in Junktown.

Fallout's other production design, such as menu interfaces, are similarly designed to resemble advertisements and toys of the Atomic Age. Advertising in the game such as billboards and brochures has a distinct 1950s motif and feel. The lack of retro-stylization was one of the things the Fallout spin-offs were criticized for, as retro-futurism is a hallmark of the Fallout series.

Possible media adaptations

In April 2009, Bethesda Softworks trademarked the Fallout brand for both "entertainment services in the nature of an on-going television program" and also "motion picture films about a post-nuclear apocalyptic world". However, nothing yet has been confirmed as being in production.[26]

References

  1. ^ Q&A: Feargus Urquhart Gamespot's interview with the founder of Black Isle
  2. ^ Fallout: New Vegas is not a direct sequel to Fallout 3
  3. ^ "Contract between Bethesda and Interplay Entertainment Corp". 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
  4. ^ "Fallout license changes hands". 2007-04-09.
  5. ^ "Beta Status for Fallout Online".
  6. ^ "IGN Presents the History of Fallout". IGN. 2009-01-28. p. 3. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  7. ^ [1] Fallout canon on The Vault - The Fallout wiki
  8. ^ "FAQ". Bethesda Softworks. 2008-05-05.
  9. ^ "Fallout 3 PC Reviews at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  10. ^ "Fallout 3 PS3 Reviews at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  11. ^ "Fallout 3 Xbox 360 Reviews at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  12. ^ Fallout: New Vegas Release Date Announced
  13. ^ a b Tong, Sophia (May 4, 2010). "Fallout: New Vegas Interview: Josh Sawyer" (Video). GameSpot.
  14. ^ a b Snider, Mike (February 16, 2010). "What happens in 'Fallout: New Vegas'". USATODAY.com. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
  15. ^ "TVG: Fallout MMO Planned". Totalvideogames.com. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  16. ^ "PC Gamer review". Retrieved 2007-05-16.
  17. ^ Herve Caen (2006-11-30). "Interplay" (Form 8-K). November 2006. SEC EDGAR. Retrieved 2006-12-13. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ Graft, Kris (2006-12-12). "Interplay Proposes $75M Fallout MMO?". Next-gen.biz. Retrieved 2006-12-12.
  19. ^ Boyer, Brandon (2007-04-13). "Fallout IP Sold to Bethesda". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  20. ^ Zombie, Garbled (2008-04-10). "Interplay returns; brings Fallout MMO". StuffWeLike.com. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  21. ^ Thorsen, Tor (2009-04-03). "Earthrise studio arming Fallout MMORPG". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
  22. ^ "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly". Game Informer: 19. 2009. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  23. ^ Brennan, Colin (2009-09-11). "Bethesda and Interplay lock legal horns over Fallout MMO". Massively.com. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
  24. ^ "Papercraft Vault Boy now online". Official Bethesda Softworks Blog. 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  25. ^ "Fallout: Welcome to the Official Site". Fallout.bethsoft.com. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  26. ^ Gilbert, Ben (2009-04-17). "Bethesda trademarks Fallout name for film and television". Joystiq.com. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
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