Mod:Fallout: New California/Content

A page outlining development and content of Fallout: New California.

Development
Project lead Brandan Lee of Radian-Helix Media was inspired by the games Fallout and Fallout 2 from Black Isle Studios. According to Lee, the mod was first conceptualized in 2010, but development didn't begin until 2012, with a prototype being released for Fallout 3. Lee named the mod "Project Brazil" due to inspiration by the Terry Gilliam film Brazil and as a nod to Black Isle Entertainment through the Irish myth of the mythological island of Brasil.

Lee created a worldspace the size of that found in Bethesda's Fallout 3, and wrote the dialogue in tandem with level and character design. Rick Hukkanen joined the project in 2012 and Freddie Farnsworth joined in January 2013 as lead project technician and applied a global NavMesh, and re-rendered the level of detail mesh on a computer custom built for the task. There are over 16,000 lines of dialogue in the mod, and includes a radio station with an original soundtrack and comments on the actions of the player as the story progresses.

Gameplay
The story takes place in 2260, 21 years before the start of Fallout New Vegas, beginning in Vault 18, located near the San Bernardino Mountains in the Cajon Pass. The player character is referred to as the Star Player, who was adopted from the wasteland and raised in Vault 18. The beginning of the mod takes place in the vault, where the player meets potential companions and decides whether to take the Path of the Warrior or Path of the Scientist. The player is free to explore the vault and learn more about the outside world through the lens of former Wasteland Scout reports. This section ends at when the player chooses to go to sleep in their home apartment.

The player subsequently wakes up to an explosion, finds their siblings dead, and their apartment destroyed. Two vault inhabitants, John Bragg and his sister Chevy, are revealed to be members of the Enclave who have started a revolt and caused the explosion. Depending on their decisions earlier, the Star Player either fights with Vault 18 security or alongside Bragg. After helping either side to gain the advantage, the player reaches the overseer and learns that he has set the vault to self-destruct. They are told to evacuate, and the chapter ends upon reaching the gate to the outside world. The player then sets out beyond the vault, choosing how to handle the events of political unrest caused by several factions struggling for control of the area.