The Fallout Franchise

[Lone Wanderer]

Ah, Fallout. What a wonderful world to explore and devote 99% of your time/life to.

*ahem* Anyone else here a huge Fallout fan? :3 If so, which games have you played, and which quests and/or DLCs are your favorite?

I love Fallout 3, but I highly favor Fallout: New Vegas over Fallout 3. It's so much more.. atmospheric. Don't get me wrong, the green and gray of D.C. was nice and all, but it sure didn't hurt to give the world a shot of color. Loved the updated AI and storyline, too.

Anyone play any of the older Fallout games?

[Bushy]

BROWN GAMES BLECK

Naw, I actually really, REALLY liked what I played of New Vegas, even if I didn't get that far. Especially "Big Iron." =D

When is the next one supposed to be coming out, anyway? Is there a set date for it? o_oa

[Lone Wanderer]

I have a theory regarding the release date, actually.

Okay, so. A year ago around this time (around New Vegas's release date, actually), people began to pester Bethesda for details on TES V. They claimed they "weren't saying anything yet", but did imply that it was in development. So I forsee an announcement within the next year, with the actual game being delivered either next Holiday Season, though it'll most likely be the year after. Bethesda has a pattern with the release of their DLCS; they usually try to release all of the DLCs for one game until its one year anniversary date. So it'll more than likely be in 2012. ;-; IF ANYONE HAS ANY SORT OF INFORMATION ON FALLOUT 4 EVER, CONTACT ME ASAP I'LL PAY YOU D:

[Bushy]

Holy crap, lady. xDDD;

What do you think they'll even do with it that hasn't been done already? =o

[Lone Wanderer]

What could they DO with it? My God, the possibilities are endless! Though I have a hunch Fallout 4 will take place in either Boston or the Midwest. But can you imagine a game near West-Tek or Mariposa?! (You heard my 5-minute long story about the origins of FEV the other night, so hopefully you know what I'm talking about)

If anything, Chris Avellone should create another Fallout Bible. I've only read the first 3 parts of it, as it only pertains to the first two Fallout games.

[Bushy]

Oh, really? That sounds pretty cool. =o
But why Boston, again? You think they'll have a tea party? D=

Fallout Bible, huh? Sounds like a hefty read.

[Lone Wanderer]

The Commonwealth (formerly the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is located in Massachusetts. It contains Androids and other forms of technology Wasteland has yet to see. It's been referred to multiple times, but.. so have many other things in the franchise, so this might be moot point.

Although.. One of the producers at Bethesda asked if everyone enjoyed the Mojave Wasteland and the western Wasteland in general. HINT, HINT. >3

And yeah, the Fallout Bible is pretty big (for a .PDF, anyway), but the Fallout franchise is huge, so it's understandable. *flees to retrieve the last remaining chapters*

[Bushy]

Well, y'know, I really do enjoy the whole "Western" theme for New Vegas. Makes me feel like a cowboy. =D

Have there been any vehicles in Fallout? 'Cause Boston's got me thinkin' of boats, and, well... =o

[Lone Wanderer]

The only vehicles I know of are the Duchess Gambit (Point Lookout DLC, Fallout 3) the Highwayman (A car from Fallout 2), and the UFO from Mothership Zeta. Obviously boats still exist, as characters like Alistair Tenpenny and Colin Moriarty would've been unable to reach the wastes otherwise. Though their reasons for leaving England and Ireland are never disclosed, it does make me wonder what things are like beyond the Atlantic. (Though one can only assume they're either in the same situation as the US is, or worse.)

[iamkyle]

I've never played the Fallout games. What's so special about it? Why should I play it???

[Lone Wanderer]

It honestly depends on which game you want to start with.

When Fallout was released, you were only about 4 months old. If you'd like to go through the entire franchise from the beginning, start there. You can buy the first Fallout games with Fallout Tactics at Wal*Mart. It's rated M, though, so you might need someone to go with you.

Fallout:

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 came the Resource Wars, during which the United Nations was disbanded, a plague rendered the United States paranoid, and Canada was annexed.

The game takes place in 2161 in Southern California and begins in Vault 13, the protagonist's home. Vault 13's Water Chip, a computer chip responsible for the water recycling and pumping machinery, has broken. The Vault Overseer tasks the protagonist with finding a replacement. They are given a portable device called the "PIPBoy 2000" which keeps track of mapmaking, quest objectives, and various bookkeeping aspects. Armed with the PIPBoy 2000 and meager equipment, the protagonist is sent out into the remains of California to find another Water Chip.

Okay, this summary makes the game seem like you're wandering around for nothing but a dumb water chip. Essentially, you are, but you end up meeting a crapload of mutants, raiders, and special characters in the desert along the way. There's a virus known as FEV that can turn a regular human into a mutant with too much exposure, and a "man" (quotes because I don't even really know what he is) known as The Master is using that to his advantage to turn the entire remnants of the human race into beings known as Super Mutants. Very immersive atmosphere with a great storyline. Highly recommended.

Fallout 2

At the end of the original Fallout, the hero, the Vault Dweller, was exiled by the Vault Overseer for prolonged exposure to the outside world. Unable to return home, the Vault Dweller, with a group of willing companions, traveled far north. Eventually they started their own tribal village called Arroyo in what we know as Oregon. Decades have passed since the original Fallout, and the Vault Dweller disappeared from Arroyo after writing his memoirs.

In the time since the Vault Dweller's exile, a new government known as the New California Republic (abbreviated NCR) has begun to unify the southern towns and is spreading to the north. A mysterious new organization known as the Enclave has emerged with the most sophisticated technology in the wastes, even surpassing the Brotherhood of Steel. A new drug, Jet, has become a cancer on many towns, its addictive properties forcing many to rely on the town of New Reno to keep them supplied.

Unfortunately I don't know enough about Fallout 2 to be able to explain the plot to you. :<

Fallout 3

This one I'll explain myself. You start off as a 19 year old Vault Dweller living in Vault 101, a vault which no one ever enters or leaves. One day, out of the blue, your Dad opens the Vault door and runs off into the wastes without mentioning a thing to you. Your objective is to find him and find out why he left, while defending yourself from the Super Mutants and other monsters that plague what's left of Washington D.C. You can play as whatever kind of character you want (even yourself!) and customize your character to even look like you, or a blue-haired weirdo if you choose. Not going to give away the entire plot, but it eventually gets to the point where your Father is.. incapacitated, and unable to carry out his plans for the Wasteland.

Fallout: New Vegas

The best game in the franchise, in my opinion. Fallout: New Vegas takes place in the Mojave Wasteland. You're a courier, instructed to deliver something known as the Platinum Chip to the New Vegas Strip when suddenly, the chip is taken from you and you're shot in the head by a mysterious man in a suit. Your objective is to find this man and discover why he shot you and took the Platinum Chip. At the same time, a war between the New California Republic (a newfound government) and Caesar's Legion (slavers) is taking place at Hoover Dam.

TL;DR: The Fallout franchise is a First-Person/Third-Person Shooter/RPG. You can play as any type of character (good, bad, or in-between) and go anywhere you want to go. You are only limited by your skills and inventory. (Ex. You can't expect to loot the entire Wasteland if your Lockpick skill is 15).