Bethesda's Fallout 4: Continuity Breaker

[RetroAmerica]

It's been well established since Bethesda's first go at the Fallout Franchise, that they weren't particularly interested in the Fallout continuity to begin with, however it seems that Bethesda's Fallout 4, has wholly given up on even trying to respect the continuity(some of which they now established).The technical demonstration of the product, which can be seen on Youtube, given by a fellow with frizzy hair and a rather high pitched voice, proceeds to take a hammer to established continuity:

Continuity Errors:
Hovering vertibird just prior to nuclear attack (Established that Vertibirds were not brought into service until after the Great War)
Vault-Tec still vending vaults prior to attack (established that they were already sold out previously)
Warning of nuclear attack (The POTUS in Fallout 2, mentions that the Chinese launched first and there was no warning on the East Coast)
Light Armored Vehicle seen in the neighborhood( Clashes with Bethesda's own established retro-50's stylings)


There were other oddities and errors, but just sticking with those for now, show's how little Bethesda even cares about their own continuity, which gives me a high degree of doubt in the final product!

 

[Yamu]

The vertibirds are probably the least of our worries. I can't even remember whether it was F2 or F3 that established they weren't rolled out until after the war, but there are plenty of handwaves available here-- maybe the models we see aren't quite the same designation or level of sophistication as Vertibirds. Maybe their official existence and readiness was kept mum in the interest of wartime disinformation. At the very worst, maybe it's a retcon; I would take no issue with that. The release date of Vertibirds is a pretty incidental piece of canon, and honestly, I think it would probably make more sense if they did retcon it. The Enclave may have had 200 years to work with, but the scale of their tech and industry development after most of the mining and manufacturing centers of the world were destroyed has always been kind of a proud nail for me.

I took the scene with the Vault-Tec rep to be confirmation of a Vault reservation the player character had already made rather than a sales call. They would have to give you the option to "play forgetful" in order to account for new players who are unfamiliar with the basics of the setting. Could it have been written better? Of course. That's kind of a given with Bethsoft, considering their usual priorities.

As to the nukes, it's entirely possible that Richardson was an unreliable narrator, or we're reading too much into what he said. "The East Coast didn't get any warning" of the first attacks in the same manner that Pearl Harbor didn't get any warning of attack, but that doesn't mean that they didn't have time to take action in the midst of things. I'm not giving them a full pass on this one (Ron Perlman's "In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders" from the first game's narration makes it pretty unlikely that DC was hit and they still had a half hour to get to the vault before the rest of the Eastern Seaboard was wiped out), but there's some wiggle room.

The Lightly Armored Vehicle is more of a design clash than a canon breaker, but I'm not going to disagree with you over it.

If anything, the biggest thing that stood out to me in terms of canon stretching/breaking was the Power Armor they showed. In their own canon, T51-b, formerly presented in the series as the standard, was advanced and precious enough on the East Coast to be kept quadruple-locked behind a forcefield in a secret bunker, and that was BEFORE the war. Now, apparently, we've got models ranging up to T60 and possibly beyond, and you can just slap them together piecemeal in your garage. It's a little too early to weigh in on its definitive final implementation, but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and nitpick over it anyway.

As far as overall continuity goes, though? I'm not too frazzled yet. All they have to do to satisfy me here is make sure their own world gels with itself. Given the patchwork nature of Fallout 3, retconning/"clarifying" a few bits, especially minor bits or ones they added themselves with F3, to make a more solid baseline for future forays into the setting might be the best thing for everyone.

 

[Neon Child]

I agree with the above poster when he said that it didn't seem like a sales call but more of a last minute check up. Even though you had the option to say you're not interested, it was clear from dialogue that you had already put in a reservation, they were just making sure to follow up with you. Even in Fallout 3 you could find letters from vault tec stating that "you'd been accepted into the vault". On top of that it was stated that because of so many false alarms many people ignored the actual warnings that shit was going down, so it doesn't surprise me that Vault tec was trying to make sure people were still ready to go.

Also, as far as the whole armor thing goes, I'm not that upset by it as long as you don't get it immediately. I feel like being able to upgrade armor makes it seem more realistic and actually was hoping they'd do something like that. Supping up your leather armor with some tanned gecko skin to give it extra rad resistance would be great. I feel like I'm really interested in the settlement building aspect. I won't like, being able to slow down every once in a while a building a nice house in Skyrim actually made me feel really good. Yeah my character was still the Dragonborn, but he was also a person with tastes, interest's and a home to call his own. Building an entire settlement would only make it better for me because I know I'm part of the restoration of the world outside of doing random quests. As long as the rpg aspects and quests are just as inspired, especially with them admitting that they had four years to build it.

I'm actually very surprised that no one has mentioned the alien concepts that were thrown in there. When I seen it, this forum was the forum thing I thought of since so many people seemed to hate the thought.

 

[Yamu]

I assumed the alien hatred was just sort of a silent constant at this point, to be honest. I'm not going to waste energy griping about it until we actually see some evidence of their inclusion. Not with so much else to gripe about

 

[SMBComix]

It's quite possible that the T-60 was a prototype developed right after the T-51b, so much more advanced that it warranted a radical acceleration in number designation. It's also equally likely, that the T-60 was never taken out of prototype phase before the Great War broke out.

 

[Neon Child]

To be 100, I'm one of the few people who don't have a problem with it. I understand some people arguments, but its an interesting concept to me. I don't think they should be there for the lulz or because they influenced the dropping of the warheads, however plenty of people across time have had sightings of aliens for generations.

 

[Battlecross]

It's been well established since Bethesda's first go at the Fallout Franchise, that they weren't particularly interested in the Fallout continuity to begin with, however it seems that Bethesda's Fallout 4, has wholly given up on even trying to respect the continuity(some of which they now established).The technical demonstration of the product, which can be seen on Youtube, given by a fellow with frizzy hair and a rather high pitched voice, proceeds to take a hammer to established continuity:

Continuity Errors:
Hovering vertibird just prior to nuclear attack (Established that Vertibirds were not brought into service until after the Great War)
Vault-Tec still vending vaults prior to attack (established that they were already sold out previously)
Warning of nuclear attack (The POTUS in Fallout 2, mentions that the Chinese launched first and there was no warning on the East Coast)
Light Armored Vehicle seen in the neighborhood( Clashes with Bethesda's own established retro-50's stylings)


There were other oddities and errors, but just sticking with those for now, show's how little Bethesda even cares about their own continuity, which gives me a high degree of doubt in the final product!

None of that is correct:

1. Vertibirds were in the prototype stage before the war and to what degree has never been stated.

2. Where is Vault-Tec "vending"? They're confirming the previous application in that beginning part.

3. Richardson is FAR from a reliable narrator and is likely making stuff up, plus the West Coast got hit first and the East coast got hit after.

4. APC doesn't really clash, not sure what you mean.

 

[RetroAmerica]

It's been well established since Bethesda's first go at the Fallout Franchise, that they weren't particularly interested in the Fallout continuity to begin with, however it seems that Bethesda's Fallout 4, has wholly given up on even trying to respect the continuity(some of which they now established).The technical demonstration of the product, which can be seen on Youtube, given by a fellow with frizzy hair and a rather high pitched voice, proceeds to take a hammer to established continuity:

Continuity Errors:
Hovering vertibird just prior to nuclear attack (Established that Vertibirds were not brought into service until after the Great War)
Vault-Tec still vending vaults prior to attack (established that they were already sold out previously)
Warning of nuclear attack (The POTUS in Fallout 2, mentions that the Chinese launched first and there was no warning on the East Coast)
Light Armored Vehicle seen in the neighborhood( Clashes with Bethesda's own established retro-50's stylings)


There were other oddities and errors, but just sticking with those for now, show's how little Bethesda even cares about their own continuity, which gives me a high degree of doubt in the final product!

None of that is correct:

1. Vertibirds were in the prototype stage before the war and to what degree has never been stated.

2. Where is Vault-Tec "vending"? They're confirming the previous application in that beginning part.

3. Richardson is FAR from a reliable narrator and is likely making stuff up, plus the West Coast got hit first and the East coast got hit after.

4. APC doesn't really clash, not sure what you mean.

First off with regards to the Vertibird: The Vertibird was still in the prototype phase when the Great War struck in 2077, preventing it from entering full military service which was scheduled for 2085 That being said, why would a prototype be deployed to a random Vault just outside of Boston? There's no common sense reason for this, other than the "Cool Factor", which Bethesda seems more concerned with that common sense writing.

Secondly according to the Vault Dweller's Survival Guide for Vault 13 (The Fallout Manual), the United States Government spent $645 Billion on Project Safehouse, with a majority of the Vaults completed by 2065. With that being said, why would there be a need 12 years later to confirm "registration", since there's no reasonable argument that would justify that sort of silliness.

Thirdly, there's no reason for Richardson to lie about the nuclear strike. And besides, considering that the PRC had already launched an invasion of the United States, it makes sense that they would launch a first strike against the United States.

Finally, a LAV is not an APC, it's an AFV, (which the first true AFV, the Soviet manufactured BMP, which Jane's Defense acknowledges didn't emerge until the 60's), and considering that Bethesda has basically retconned Fallout to being a pseudo fifties world, there would be no logical reason for AFVs to be in production.

 

[fred2]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Retcon

 

[Walpknut]

Also they changed the Mr handy design again for some reason, not too grave, it actually kind of looks better, but it's the third time they have done it already.

 

[TorontoReign]

I would prepare for a lot more retcons before everything is said and done. I doubt they want to stay shackled by the continuity.

 

[fred2]

Indeed, i appreciate all the work the people of the vault and keepers of Chronicles of other settings do (some of them treat those setting as if real life), but whats the first rule?

Spoiler

Gameplay comes first.

The reason you see the Vertibird this early on, is to establish it as a major gameplay element in FO4.(similarly the enclave appeared in FO2) The reason you need to confirm "registration" is because it fits well into their intro which IMO doesn't get enough credit.

 

[Battlecross]

It's been well established since Bethesda's first go at the Fallout Franchise, that they weren't particularly interested in the Fallout continuity to begin with, however it seems that Bethesda's Fallout 4, has wholly given up on even trying to respect the continuity(some of which they now established).The technical demonstration of the product, which can be seen on Youtube, given by a fellow with frizzy hair and a rather high pitched voice, proceeds to take a hammer to established continuity:

Continuity Errors:
Hovering vertibird just prior to nuclear attack (Established that Vertibirds were not brought into service until after the Great War)
Vault-Tec still vending vaults prior to attack (established that they were already sold out previously)
Warning of nuclear attack (The POTUS in Fallout 2, mentions that the Chinese launched first and there was no warning on the East Coast)
Light Armored Vehicle seen in the neighborhood( Clashes with Bethesda's own established retro-50's stylings)


There were other oddities and errors, but just sticking with those for now, show's how little Bethesda even cares about their own continuity, which gives me a high degree of doubt in the final product!

None of that is correct:

1. Vertibirds were in the prototype stage before the war and to what degree has never been stated.

2. Where is Vault-Tec "vending"? They're confirming the previous application in that beginning part.

3. Richardson is FAR from a reliable narrator and is likely making stuff up, plus the West Coast got hit first and the East coast got hit after.

4. APC doesn't really clash, not sure what you mean.

First off with regards to the Vertibird: The Vertibird was still in the prototype phase when the Great War struck in 2077, preventing it from entering full military service which was scheduled for 2085 That being said, why would a prototype be deployed to a random Vault just outside of Boston? There's no common sense reason for this, other than the "Cool Factor", which Bethesda seems more concerned with that common sense writing.

Secondly according to the Vault Dweller's Survival Guide for Vault 13 (The Fallout Manual), the United States Government spent $645 Billion on Project Safehouse, with a majority of the Vaults completed by 2065. With that being said, why would there be a need 12 years later to confirm "registration", since there's no reasonable argument that would justify that sort of silliness.

Thirdly, there's no reason for Richardson to lie about the nuclear strike. And besides, considering that the PRC had already launched an invasion of the United States, it makes sense that they would launch a first strike against the United States.

Finally, a LAV is not an APC, it's an AFV, (which the first true AFV, the Soviet manufactured BMP, which Jane's Defense acknowledges didn't emerge until the 60's), and considering that Bethesda has basically retconned Fallout to being a pseudo fifties world, there would be no logical reason for AFVs to be in production.

Prototype doesn't mean none existed, it means it wasn't in full service. So far we see a single one in the trailer, that's it. Furthermore, if they retcon it so be it. It doesn't break continuity to change something, and literally every major franchise has retcons galore.

Second, it's a way to get your game settings. You're looking too far into it for no reason, and for a company to re-confirm something that major makes sense. Why would a company not make sure the person is still alive? They could have been dead, have you never been contacted over time by an insurance company or anything?

Third, even the wikis question Richardson's beliefs man. How would he know as a puppet President well after the war, and why wouldn't he lie as a pro "America" President? No one knows who launched first, ergo anything he says is speculation or lies.

Finally, that LAV doesn't clash with anything so I have no idea what you're talking about. The game isn't based on the 50's, it has 50's style. So this point really has no merit at all. The game takes place in the future when these things could have and are apparently in existence.

 

[Walpknut]

I hope the yat least acknowledge how right before the bombs hit the US wasn't all happy and dandy then and address the social unrest and riots that were going then from the scarcity of resources in some areas and the active boycotting and protest against the government's actions during the Anchorage war. I mean we can assume the protagonist just lives in a waspy cul de sac removed from those issues, but it would be good if they at least have tv spots or radio programs on that in the pre war segments.

 

[The_Time_Master]

They already retconned it by having Vertibirds bring in troops with power armor in the VR sim in Operation Anchorage which was written before the Great War.

 

[fred2]

I have to claim ignorance about FO3 DLCs, but if so then FO4 trailer present no problems.

Also on the lore side, I have to give it to Beth where its due.. despite the inevitable inconsistencies, they has been spending a lot of time and resources to enrich FO universe.

 

[TorontoReign]

I have to claim ignorance about FO3 DLCs, but if so then FO4 trailer present no problems.

Also on the lore side, I have to give it to Beth where its due.. despite the inevitable inconsistencies, they has been spending a lot of time and resources to enrich FO universe.

I must say I was most impressed with this image. Very well done.

 

[Battlecross]

They already retconned it by having Vertibirds bring in troops with power armor in the VR sim in Operation Anchorage which was written before the Great War.

That entire simulation is suspect as its explained that General Chase was nuts and kept changing things. So we don't know what was real and what was fake.

 

[SMBComix]

The thing is though, retcons happen all the time, and not just to Fallout. It's the one problem with fictional universes in general; their histories are always subject to minor (or major) changes depending on the stories that the writers want to tell. To have a fictional universe free of retcons, you'll need to either stifle any sort of creativity going forward, avoid doing sequels, plan out every last minute detail of backstory yourself (thereby effecting option one) -- which could quite possibly take many, many years -- or any combination of the above. Either way, retcons keep the series going and evolving from a story standpoint.

 

[Walpknut]

No, you don't need to stiffle creativity to avoid retcons, you just need to enforce thoughtfull additions. I mean it's one thing for the original creator to retcon a couple of thing that is already kind of bad, another thing is to have some other person retcon the shit out of the original author's work just to add in "cool" stuff to the story.