Fallout 3

Fallout 3 is a post-apocalyptic computer and console role-playing game that is being developed and published by Bethesda Softworks as a sequel to Interplay's Fallout and Fallout 2. It will be released in Fall of 2008 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Fallout 3 teaser trailer was released on June 5, 2007.

Information about the cancelled Fallout 3 project developed by Black Isle can be found in the Van Buren article.

See also: Fallout 3 FAQ.

Interplay
Fallout 3 was initially under development by Interplay, the original owners of the Fallout license, under the codename Van Buren. Interplay went bankrupt before the game could be completed, and the license to develop Fallout 3 was sold to Bethesda (a video-game studio famous for the Elder Scrolls series) for a $1,175,000 minimum guaranteed advance against royalties.

Bethesda
Bethesda stated it would be working on Fallout 3 in July 2004, but principal development did not begin until after The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was completed . Bethesda announced their intention to make Fallout 3 similar to the previous two games, focusing on non-linear gameplay, a good story, and true "Fallout humor." Bethesda also stated the game is targetted for a rating of M for Mature, and will have the same sort of adult themes and violence that are characteristic of the Fallout series. Fallout 3 will use a version of the same Gamebryo engine as Oblivion, and is being developed by the same team.

Between May 2 and June 5, 2007 Bethesda showcased 5 pieces of concept art by Craig Mullins on the Fallout 3 website during the countdown to the teaser. The cinematic teaser trailer for Fallout 3, consisting of the first part of the intro, was released by Bethesda Softworks on June 5, 2007, after a 30 day countdown on the Fallout 3 website. On August 2, 2007, the game's website was opened.

Reception
Scans and a preview of the game by Game Informer were leaked on the internet at the end of May. On the first of June, the other magazines and websites who had been invited to the event released their news content. Overall, the reaction was positive and many of the reporters considered themselves 'old fallout fans'.

Leonard Boyarsky, one of the creators of the original Fallout, when asked about Interplay's sale of the rights to Bethesda, said that he felt as though "our ex wife had sold our children that she had legal custody of," admitting that he feels very possessive of the series. Considerable concern was also raised some members of the series' fan community concerning Bethesda's purchase of the rights to the Fallout franchise from Interplay.

In response, Bethesda has tried to reassure those fans of the series that they want to preserve the feel and quality of the Fallout franchise. In 2007, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing Pete Hines stated, "Internally, we're a bunch of Fallout geeks. There is nobody [here] who hasn't played that game and enjoyed it. I have that game on my laptop, I take it with me and play it. But it's definitely different, because it's not really considered ours, the franchise. We didn't start it. There is a little bit of that sentiment out there that we have to prove that we're worthy to be the guys to make Fallout 3. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, because we have very high expectations for ourselves."

Gameplay
A cover story in the magazine Game Informer in July 2007 {citation} and other previews that followed revealed that:


 * The game will use both first-person and third-person perspective.


 * Storytelling enters into character creation; as the story of the player's birth in a Vault hospital unfolds, their choices of how exactly the story is told determines the character's Traits and general appearance. The facial appearance of the player character's father is affected by the player's choice of appearance. As a child in the Vault, the character receives a book titled "You're Special", whereupon the player sets the character's 7 primary aptitudes; the acronym for the list of seven attributes is SPECIAL. The character receives training weapons and a PIP-boy during childhood, and the player's performance in various tests determines the rest of the attributes.


 * Skills and Perks are similar to those in previous games: the player chooses 3 Tag Skills out of 14 to be the character's specialties, and the character will gain a Perk every other level.


 * The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. real time with pause combat system will be implemented. Various actions cost action points, and both the player and enemies can target specific body areas for attacks, inflicting specific injuries. While using V.A.T.S., real-time combat is paused. Action points regenerate over time.


 * Gory deaths in the game will be shown in slow motion. One of the featured screenshots is of a super-mutant's head exploding. Of the gore in both previous Fallout titles (Fallout 2 featured a selection dial allowing the player to choose minimal or maximum violence and settings in between), Fallout 3 Executive Producer Todd Howard had this to say: "Fallout 1 became our main model and inspiration...one of my favorite sources...is the original "Fallout Vision Statement"...a 14-point bulleted list... Here they are, in order...1. Mega levels of violence. "When people die, they don't just die – they get cut in half, they melt into a pile of goo, explode like a blood sausage, or several different ways – depending on the weapon you use."...Ten years later and I don't know that I would change a word..."
 * The game will revolve around the same three standard character archetypes and gameplay approaches of the 'Combat Boy', 'Stealth Boy', or 'Charisma Boy'.


 * The game will feature a new health and radiation system. The player can measure an object's radioactivity and gauge the effect it will have on the character.


 * Karma titles, similar to those from previous games, will grant Xbox Live Achievements on that platform.


 * Characters will be able to create small blasts by targeting nuclear generators and using nuclear catapults.

Changes from previous Fallout games

 * While Fallout and Fallout 2 featured turn-based combat and top-down isometric view in a 2-D engine, Fallout 3 features real-time combat and first or third person view in a 3-D engine (like Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel). Fallout Tactics and the cancelled Van Buren featured both turn-based and real-time combat and a top-down view.
 * In the SPECIAL character system, the number of skills has been reduced from 18 to 14 and perks are selected every other level instead of every 3 levels. It is unknown whether any other elements of the character system will be changed.
 * No mention has been made of the 'Science Boy' gameplay choice, as it had been for the cancelled Van Buren project by Black Isle Studios.{/citation}
 * Perks and Traits have been merged.

Setting
The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world following The Great War, a nuclear war that occurred on October 23, 2077 and lasted less than two hours but caused immense damage and destruction. Before The Great War were the Resource Wars, during which the United Nations disbanded, a plague rendered the United States paranoid, and Canada was annexed.

The game takes place in the year 2277 on the East Coast of what used to be the United States of America, mostly in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia (unlike the first two games, which were set on the West Coast of the United States, mainly in California).

Story
The Player Character is a young inhabitant of Vault 101. The Vault has been sealed for the last 200 years and no one has ever left it - until it turned out that the PC's father has disappeared from it without any explanation. The young Vault Dweller leaves the safe shelter to look for his father in the ruins of Washington, DC.

During his journey, the Player Character will see some ancient monument from before the Great War, like the Capitol, the Jefferson Memorial or the battered remains of the Washington Monument in the ruins of Downtown DC, surrounded by the desolate Capital Wasteland. The central hub of civilization in the ruins of the former capital is Rivet City, based in and around the remains of a crashed aircraft carrier. Other settlements include the towns of Megaton, Springvale, Tenpenny Towers and Paradise Falls. Movement between the towns is possible through the Washington Metro tunnels.

The Brotherhood of Steel is also going to appear, stationed in the Citadel built in the ruins of the pre-War Pentagon. Super mutants that are invading the world and are in a constant battle to push humans out will be the player's biggest foes in the game.

Developers


The project is headed by executive producer Todd Howard. Other producers include Ashley Cheng, Gavin Carter and Jeff Gardiner. The lead designer is Emil Pagliarulo who previously worked on Thief games as well as the Dark Brotherhood quests in Oblivion. Lead level designer is Joel Burgess. Other leads are lead artist Istvan Pely and lead programmer Steve Meister. PR and marketing for the game is coordinated by Pete Hines.

See: Fallout 3 developers for a full list of known developers.

Cast

 * Ron Perlman - Narrator
 * Liam Neeson - Player Character's father
 * Malcolm McDowell - Enclave President

Collectors Edition
The collector edition of Fallout 3 has been announced. The game will feature: A Vault Boy Bobblehead, and The Art of Fallout 3 which features never before seen exclusive concept art for the game, and "The Making of Fallout 3" DVD. The entire package is contained in a Vault-Tec lunch box container.

Survival Edition
In addition to the above products, the Survival Edition features a life-size model of the Pip-Boy wrist computer upon whose screen is a fully functional digital clock display.

Official links

 * Official site
 * Official Fallout 3 Forum

Fansite links

 * Fallout 3 Zone
 * Fallout 3 news at Duck and Cover
 * ''Fallout 3 news at No Mutants Allowed
 * Fallout 3 news at RPG Codex
 * Fallout 3: A Post Nuclear Blog

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