Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel abbreviated as FO:BoS, FOBOS, or simpy BOS, is an action game developed and produced by Interplay Entertainment for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 game consoles. Released on January 13, 2004, BoS was the fourth video game to be set in the Fallout universe and the first to be made for video game consoles. The game chronicles the adventures of an initiate of the Brotherhood of Steel. Because of numerous inconsistencies with previous Fallout games, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel is not considered part of the official Fallout canon, however some of its content could be used as "flavor" material.

Story
Chapter One

The player chooses to control one of three initial characters: Cain, Cyrus, or Nadia, all of whom have pledged their services to the Brotherhood of Steel. Brotherhood members have gone missing in Carbon, and the chosen initiate is tasked with searching for the paladins, starting with the nearby town. Armed thugs loiter in town, and are trying their best to make kindling of the furniture in the bar. The bartender is grateful if the Initiate breaks a few of them in return, and steers the Initiate in the direction of the shifty mayor of this lawless town.

The mayor might be due some choice words from the electorate for the state of his town; one in particular will give the player a discount as a reward for telling off the mayor. Even this outburst won't make the mayor reveal the location of the missing paladins. He does insists the player clear out an infestation of radscorpions in the nearby warehouse.

The Initiate makes collections: of the scorpion tails the barkeep is interested in buying, and whatever contents of the warehouse aren't nailed down. Giant, radioactive, and the more common really big mutated scorpions all rendered lifeless, the Initiate returns to the mayor, to the news that the missing paladins headed off in the direction of a massive crater outside of town. Following the trail to the bottom, the Initiate finds that the mayor isn't one of those NPCs that just stand around all day; not only that, but he has more explosives on him than anyone really ought to be able to carry, and seems determined to unload as much of it as possible in the Initiate's not-so-general vicinity. The mayor given a nice dirt nap and buried, appropriately beneath the rockslide his explosives caused, the player returns to the town.

The raiders have given up loitering in favor of looting. Many of the citizens of the town have fled; one who couldn't make it to their refuge in the recently cleared warehouse requests the Initiate's aid in saving them. But first: there are a total of 37 citizens scattered throughout the town areas. Should they be saved by the Initiate, the Wasteland Stranger will be very grateful indeed, to the tune of a Red Ryder LE BB gun (which wasn't all that shabby even in midgame Fallout 2, and at this stage of BoS is even better). The bandits inside, and their leader, are doing what they do best; getting in the way. The Initiate finds ways to make them less obstructive.

Chapter Two

With the help of the Vault Dweller, the protagonist of Fallout, the player heads to the city of Los. There, he or she looks for mutants. The search leads to the Church of the Lost, a cult based inside the city. A Brotherhood paladin, Rhombus, asks the player to kill the cult leader, Blake. Blake and the player fight, and, after recovering a key from the dead cult leader, the player escorts Rhombus to a church, where Rhombus is killed by kamikaze ghouls seconds after handing the player a key card. The player then finds a hidden vault containing the remains of the mutant army. During a battle with Attis, the mutant general, the player is knocked unconscious and left for dead. With help from the human residents of the vault, the initiate is revived and enters the ruins of the vault in a search for Attis. When the two meet again, Attis has mutated into a blob. The player fights through the blob in order to gain access to a computer terminal that can start the decontamination of the vault. The initiate must then sprint to a monorail car in order to escape the self-destructing facility.

Locations
The action in BoS takes place in one location at a time; a player can not return to previously visited locations, and not visit new ones until the storyline advances, similar to the fashion of Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, and others. There are 50 separate maps, or zones, of varying size, in BoS. The primary zones are:


 * Training
 * Chapter One - Carbon
 * Carbon Bar
 * Carbon Warehouse
 * Carbon Crater
 * Carbon Mill
 * Chapter Two - Los
 * Bridge of Los
 * Docks of Los
 * Gladiator Pit
 * Vault-Tec Warehouse
 * Chapter Three - Secret Vault
 * Secret Vault - Residence Area
 * Secret Vault - The Garden
 * Secret Vault - Facilities
 * Secret Vault - Ruins
 * Secret Vault - Laboratories

General
These skills can be acquired by all playable characters.

All skills add a bonus at increments of 2 points spent, 4 points, 8 points, 16 and 32, unless specified otherwise.

Artful Dodger: +5 to Armor Class (AC) each increment. Bargaining Power: +15% to the sale value of items, -5% to the purchase price of items, per increment. Cat-like: +5% to melee attack speed and dodge speed per increment. Die Hard: +20 Hit Points (HP), +50 HP, +90 HP, +140 HP, +200 HP. Eagle-Eye: +3 feet to the maximum range at which enemies can be targetted each increment. Energy Charge: From level 1 to level 15, no effect. At level 16, a special attack with energy weapons is enabled. Explosive Skill: +5% damage with explosives and weapons using explosives per increment. Explosive Traps: Allows explosives to be set to explode when walked over, at 10 points spent. First Aid: +20% healing value to healing items. Cain's bonus increases by 5% each increment instead of 20%. Fortune Finder: +20% to loot value per increment. Gun Skill: +5% damage with guns per increment. Melee Skill: +5% damage with melee weapons per increment. Slayer: +5% to the chance to cause a critical hit, per increment. Special Attack: 8 points, third attack added to melee attacks. 16 points, enables special attack.

Character-specific Skills
There are three categories of skills that are usable only by specific playable characters Cain's Specific Skills Butcher: +5% to the chance to cause critical hits with bladed weapons, per increment. Pyromaniac: +5% to the chance to cause critical hits with flame based weapons, per increment. Rad Child: At 48 points spent, radiation points heal hit points. Sadist: Cain receives less of a bonus for this skill. +2 additional HP each time an enemy is killed, per increment.

Cyrus' / Rhombus' / The Vault Dweller's Specific Skills Berserker: While HP is below 30% of maximum, attacks do 10% more damage. +10% per increment. Heavy Hitter: +5% per increment additional damage with blunt weapons. Man's Best Friend: At 20 points spent, gain canine companion. Wastelander: Homemade weapons do 10% more damage per increment.

Nadia's and Patty's Specific Skills Desert Soldier: +5% additional chance to cause critical hits with 'conventional' weapons. Future Woman: +5% additional damage, per increment, with energy weapons. Man's Best Friend: At 20 points spent, gain canine companion. Sadist: Regain 5 HP each time an enemy is killed. +5 additional HP in this way, per increment.

Playable characters
The player chooses one of up to six playable characters to control as the PC. There are no party members. The last three unlockable characters on the following list each become available to control after the player completes a chapter in the game.

Cain: Cain is a ghoul who decided to join the Brotherhood after super mutants destroyed his hometown. Of medium build, he is able to use heavy weapons and dual weapons, but not maneuver well with the former and cannot run while using the latter.

Cyrus: Cyrus was born in a tribal farming village, but he started roaming the wastes after his village was destroyed by super mutants. He later decided to join the Brotherhood as a soldier. Of heavy build, able to use and maneuver well with heavy weapons. Can not equip dual weapons. Can not run while firing any weapon.

Nadia: Nadia spent her childhood as an orphan living on the streets. Although she adapted to life there, she decided to join the Brotherhood when she witnessed several of its members engaging in an act of philanthropy. Of light build, she is able to equip dual weapons. She cannot use heavy weapons. The weapons she can equip, she can fire while running.

Patty: Has the same access to and restrictions on weapons as Nadia. She has +10 to her Base Armor value, and bonuses to the following skills: +20% bonus to Bargaining, +80% to Gun Damage, +25% to Desert Soldier, and +25% to Future Woman.

Rhombus: Unlike the first four characters, Rhombus has no restrictions or bonuses to weapon class in regards to equipping or movement. Rhombus has a Base Armor bonus of +30. He has a +100% bonus to Melee Damage, and +50% bonuses to Explosive Damage and the skills Heavy Hitter and Wastelander.

Vault Dweller: This powerful player character can be selected for use only in a new game, and as with Rhombus, has no weapon class restrictions or bonuses. He has a stacking unarmored Base armor value of 20, and +100% bonuses to Melee Damage, Gun Damage, and Explosive Damage. Additionally, +20% bonuses to the Slayer and Fortune Finder skills, and +100% to the Heavy Hitter and Wastelander skills.

Non-player characters
Patty, Rhombus, and the Vault Dweller can be encountered in Brotherhood of Steel while they are not being controlled as the PC.
 * Armpit: Armpit is the bartender in Carbon. He is willing to pay money for radscorpion tails, but he dies during the bandit raid.
 * Attis: Attis is the leader of the mutant army, and the final boss.
 * Blake: Blake is the leader of the Church of the Lost. He fights the player in Chapter Two.
 * CALIX: CALIX is the Secret Vault's main computer system. It could share some information.
 * Ching Tsun: Ching is a merchant in the Vault. He is willing to buy computer parts.
 * Dubois: Dubois is the chief scientist of the Vault. He is eaten by the queen deathclaw.
 * Giese: Giese is a ghoul living in Los. He is able to fashion weapons from pieces of junk.
 * Harold: Harold is a ghoul appearing FEV contact living in Los who asks the player to recover missing body parts for him.
 * Hieronymus: Hieronymus runs a gladiator ring in Los. He is killed by Salieri.
 * Jane: Jane is the raider matron. She is in charge of the raiders that attacked Carbon.
 * Jesse: Jesse is a trader in the wasteland.
 * Mary: Mary helps the player after the first fight with Attis. She also informs the player about her mother's ring.
 * Patty: The security officer of the hidden vault, Patty is unlocked when the first chapter is completed.
 * Richard: Richard is the mayor of Carbon who sold the town to bandits. He fights the player at the bottom of the crater.
 * Ruby: Ruby is the Carbon's resident prostitute. She provides the player with several quests, and is available for sexual encounters.
 * Rhombus: Rhombus is a paladin of the Brotherhood of Steel. Although wounded by a ghoul suicide bomber, Rhombus is playable after the player beats chapter two.
 * Salieri: Salieri is a merchant in Los. He asks the player to deliver a package to Hieronymus.
 * Technician: In the Vault Facilities, the technician helps the player.
 * Vault Dweller: The protagonist of the original Fallout, the Vault Dweller is unlocked after the game has been finished. In game, he is met by player in Carbon.
 * Vidya: Vidya is the town doctor of Carbon and can heal the PC at no charge.

Weapons and Ammunition
There are 51 weapons in total. There are four weapons that can be dual wielded, five flame weapons, seven energy weapons, six bladed weapons and 11 blunt weapons for a total of 17 melee weapons, 24 gun type weapons, eight explosive type weapons, and seven Homemade type weapons. Note that these weapon types overlap; e.g. a Homemade Laser pistol is a Homemade weapon, an energy weapon, and a gun type. The highest damage weapon, other than the Mini-Nuke single use explosive, is the Shredder gun type heavy weapon, at 480-606 damage.

Armor
There are four location types of armor: helmet, torso, boots, and gloves. The seven successively more protective grades of armor, in order: cloth, leather, riot, metal, combat, tesla, and power armor. The Power armor torso piece, at +118 AC, offers the most protection of all locations and grades.

Production
In creating BoS, Interplay used the "Snowblind" game engine also used in the console games Dark Alliance and the online-capable PS2 game Champions of Norrath. 480p and Dolby digital are supported.

Voice Actors

 * Dee Bradley Baker recorded the part of NPC merchant Ching Tsun, and minor NPCs Wasteland Man and City Ghoul Civilian.
 * Michael Bell acted the voice of the NPC and PC the Vault Dweller, the PC Cain, and the NPC enemies Nightkin and Super Mutant.
 * Earl Boen(credited as Eril Boen) played the voice of Richard, the Carbon mayor, and the voices of NPCs Ghoul Officer and Vault-Tec Computer.
 * Cam Clarke acted the parts of NPCs Vault Man, Patrol, Plasma, and Kamikaze Robot.
 * Grey Delisle recorded the part of Vidya, the Carbon doctor, and the Vault Elder's daughter.
 * Brian George played the parts of Dubois, the chief vault scientist, Ghoul Merchant, and NPCs Tesla and Service Robot.
 * Kristakis Gepetto recorded the voice of the Tutorial Computer.
 * Nick Jameson voiced the parts of NPCs Ghoul Engineer, Raider Thug, Drunk, Turret, and Sentry Robot.
 * Tony Jay recorded the voice of the Narrator, and the voice of Attis and Mutant Blob.
 * John Mariano played the voice of Armpit, the Carbon bartender. Also NPCs Ghoul Psycho User, Rader Torch (sic) and Soldier.
 * Vanessa Marshall voiced the part of Jane the Raider Matron, and Ruby the sex worker.
 * Alan Oppenheimer spoke the part of Harold in BoS. Harold appeared in F1 and F2, where his part was rasped by Charlie Adler, and in Fallout 3, where he is voiced by Stephen Russell. Alan Oppenheimer also voiced the parts of an NPC Soldier and the Wasteland Trader, and the NPC enemies Cult Ghoul Thug and Kamikaze.
 * Kevin Michael Richardson voiced the player character Cyrus, the NPC Blake and Soldier, and the NPC enemies Ghoul High Priest, and Mutant Grunt.
 * B.J. Ward recorded the voices of the Raider Lieutenant, Vault Security, and the Vending Computer.

All voice acting citations from the Internet Movie Database.

Brotherhood of Steel is the only Fallout game, as of the release of Fallout 3, to not feature voice-acting by Ron Perlman, who recorded for the Narrator's speeches and the line, "War...war never changes."

Music
BoS features music by bands Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, Celldweller, Meshuggah, Skinlab, Klayton, and musician Devin Townsend.

Reception
Criticizing Interplay, F:BoS-producer Chuck Cuevas and a news release from March 12, 2003, the Duck and Cover editorial "27 Things about Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel" stated that details of the news releases proved the game world which Interplay was creating not to be materially or artistically consistent with the game world of Fallout and Fallout 2.

It received a mixture of low and average reviews, and currently holds a 64 (out of 100) score on Metacritic for the Playstation 2 version, and a 66 score for the Xbox version. However, the user review score is a low 2.8, based on 30 current reviews, for the Playstation 2 version, and a 5.1 based on 19 current reviews for the Xbox version.

Cultural references

 * In BoS, the character gives the Vault Dweller a canteen with the Vault 13 logo. This item previously appeared in the original Fallout and Fallout 2.
 * A guitarist from the band, Skinlab can be seen wearing a Bawls Guarana t-shirt in the music video accompanying the game.
 * Brotherhood of Steel employed in-game advertising in that Nuka Cola bottles and even advertising billboards from the original series were replaced with Bawls Guarana bottles and signs.
 * There is a townsperson who says "His name was Robert Paulsen" when the raiders attack the village, this is a reference to Fight Club.