Desslock is a game journalist some of us know for running Desslock's RPG News site at GameSpot and who is currently the RPG columnist for PC Gamer. His RPG News site was launched in early 1997 with an interview he conducted with Tim Cain prior to Fallout's release. The content was later moved to GameSpot where the site would run from 1998 to 2003.
In the spirit of Fallout's 10 year anniversary, Desslock released his 10-year old interview with Tim Cain to No Mutants Allowed.
Images added by No Mutants Allowed, not from original interview.
Some Questions about the Plot :
Desslock: There hasn't been a lot of information released on the plot of the game, other than your character's uncomfortable starting predicament – get the water purification system going or "your life in the wasteland is over". Do you have any additional plot tidbits?
Tim Cain: The retrieval of the water chip is only the first third of the game. We're trying not to reveal the overall storyline so that people playing the game can discover what happened after the war (they can even find out why the war happened in the first place).
Desslock: From the beginning of the game straight to the ending: I understand that there will be multiple endings in the game, depending upon the choices your character makes during the game. Could you elaborate on how your character's actions will affect the development of the plot?
Tim Cain: Your player can choose whether to involve himself (or herself) in the events taking place in the world. And if he does involve himself, he can often choose sides, or if acts alone, he can choose to act "good" or "bad". In any case, most of the world locations keep track of what the player does there, and at the end of the game, we have a narration saying what the future of these places will be like depending on that information.<table width="140px" align="right"><tr><td>
</td></tr></table>
Some Questions on Gameplay :
Desslock: Will the game be played in "real time" mode, other than the tactical, turn based combat?
Tim Cain: Yes. One minute of real time equals one minute of game time as the player walks around in the location maps. Of course, as he travels over the world map, which connects locations, we speed up time so you don't have to wait the days it takes to walk from one place to another.
Desslock: Can you elaborate on the new skill based system which you have crafted to replace "GURPS"©?
Tim Cain: We've put together a set of 7 stats, 18 skills, 10 traits, and over 50 perks that are used to define a character. At character creation, you select the stats you want (you have points to spend any way you want), and your skill levels change based on the stats you've picked. You may also select three skills as "tag skills", which will further define your character. Tags skills start at +20%, and they will go up faster than non-tag skills as you spend points on them.
Last, you can pick up to two optional traits to further define your character. These traits are balanced (i.e. good and bad) properties of your character. For example, you can take Fast Shot, which lets you shoot guns for one Action Point less per shot, but you cannot aim the shot. So you may be able to shoot an extra shot in a round, but you can't shoot people in the groin.
Desslock: How will the skill based character development system work? Will a character increase in a particular skill as that skill is utilized, or will you get a certain number of "skill points" to periodically allocate to your character.
Tim Cain: As you go up a level, you get skill points to spend in your skills. Every three levels, you get a perk, which improves your character in some way. Perks have prerequisites, so not everyone is offered the same perks each time. For example, the Master Trader perk is only offered if your Barter skill and Intelligence stat is high enough. Master Trader makes those items you offer to NPCs in trade appear to be worth more than they are.
Desslock: How many different skills are there to choose from?
Tim Cain: There are 18 skills in the system. You start with a low default in all of them.
Desslock: Are there any significant differences between "minor" and "major" skills, other than starting levels? Are there any "unique" skill types, other than the "perhaps gruesome but sure to be entertaining" extra damage skill?
Tim Cain: There are the tag skills, described above. And many of the perks extend and modify your existing skills (such as Master Trader does to Barter).
Desslock: How will NPCs interact with your character and the rest of the world in Fallout?
Tim Cain: You can talk and barter with NPCs, and they can convey important information about the game. Most important characters have digitized speech (but a few important ones don't and a few unimportant ones do, so players won't make assumptions about who should be spoken to and who shouldn't). NPCs keep a reaction meter to the player, so if he makes them angry or happy, they remember and act accordingly.
Desslock: Can you elaborate on the "reputation" or "karma flag" system in the game?
Tim Cain: Certain actions of the player will net him good or bad karma. These actions include saving a town (good) or shooting children (bad). Karma affects reaction levels by NPCs and affects the end game.
Desslock: Approximately how many NPCs are there going to be in the game? How many different enemy types?
Tim Cain: Lots! We have 21 digitized speech heads, and hundreds of non-speech characters. We have 58 different critter body types for enemies and friends.
Desslock: Will NPCs join your party and, if so, will you have any control over them?
Tim Cain: NPCs can join your party, but they act independently in combat. They act to save your life and attack your enemies, for the most part. Sometimes, they will only join you in certain areas, but some will follow you anywhere.
More on Gameplay :
Desslock: How many different "towns" or populated locations are there in Fallout, and how large will these locations be compared to the "encampment" shown in the Fallout demo?
Tim Cain: There are 15 locations. Each one is represented by 2-10 isometric maps the size of the encampment in the demo. In addition, there are some secret areas that are hard to reach, and some random areas that occur when you wander the wastes.
Desslock: How many types of weapons are in the game? Any particularly unique ones?
Tim Cain: Hmm, over 30, and the list is still growing. We have lots of damage types (bullet, laser, plasma, electrical, fire, etc), different gun types (pistol, rifle, gatlings, etc.), different damage amounts, various ranges, and special results (like knockback) that the combinations are huge. And you can often load different ammo into a gun for different effect, since hollow-point and armor-piercing are both useful in their own ways.<table width="140px" align="left"><tr><td>
</td></tr></table>
Desslock: Fallout's detailed tactical combat, complete with critical hits, the ability to aim at specific locations on your target, etc. has been enthusiastically received by role-playing gamers who have previewed the Fallout demo. Do you anticipate that the combat system will be substantially similar to the one previewed in the Fallout demo?
Tim Cain: Yes, we've primarily just been tinkering with combat balance and AI. We have added the ability to speed up NPC turns, so you don't have to wait as long for them to take their turns. The biggest change from the demo is the addition of critical hits and misses. These are specific to the critter you are attacking and the weapon you are using, and combat becomes even more strategic when you are trying to decide whether or not to shoot with a 20% to-hit number, since the chance of critical failure is proportional to the chance of missing. On the plus side, called shots have a better chance of scoring a critical hit (making groin shots even better), but since they are tougher shots, you may critically miss more too. It's all a balance thing.
Desslock: Will there be a day/night cycle in Fallout?
Tim Cain: Yes, complete with dynamic lighting changes and NPCs going to sleep. And lighting affects your to-hit values and also perception rolls, so it matters whether it is day or night.
Desslock: How many hours of do you anticipate it will take the average gamer to complete Fallout?
Tim Cain: About 30-50 hours, depending on the path they take to complete it. But that is to play from start to finish and trying to stay linear. If you want to wander the world map and do lots of random encounters and try to do every quest that comes your way, it may take hundred of hours, especially if you like to talk to everyone and/or kill everything.
The Graphics, Sound and Interface :
Desslock: The graphics in Fallout look fantastic so far, and have a lot of gamers excited about playing a real, live role-playing game which looks so gooood. Great work, by the way. What resolutions and color depths do you intend to support in Fallout? Do you anticipate including any special graphical features, such as dynamic lighting, etc.?
Tim Cain: Fallout is a 640x480 256-color product. We do make use of dynamic lighting and special effects such as translucency (we have a Stealth Boy device that can turn you nearly invisible) and some gorgeous color-cycled animations (one of our artists managed to make the ocean waves lap at the shore when you go to the beach).
Desslock: Have you made any significant changes to the interface since the demo was released?
Tim Cain: We've added a lot of new functionality, like bartering windows to trade with NPCs and action cursors in the inventory screens to allow unloading weapons, setting timers on explosives, opening containers, and things like that. But the interface remains substantially the same.
Desslock: You haven't released much information concerning the music and sound effects you have planned. Will there be CD digital or Midi music? Any particular type or style of music?
<table width="140px" align="right"><tr><td>
</td></tr></table>Tim Cain: We are using all digital music in a dark ambient style. Mark Morgan, our musician, did an awesome job making dark and eerie music for each location in the game. With our cool artwork, this really gives each area its own "look and feel".
Finally...
Desslock: What are two features (perhaps among many) which you believe set Fallout apart from other role-playing games?
Tim Cain: First, different characters really are different. If you make a stupid character, he will have different responses to NPCs dialog, and therefore the game will take a different spin as certain adventure seeds are denied you. Similarly, starting with low combat skills could easily get you killed in the first adventure seed that is offered, since it involves big, dangerous monsters. Likewise, take a high Luck and you may find things in the wasteland that others cannot...
Second, how you behave in the game really matters. Be a jerk, and people won't barter with you. Save a town and become a hero in their eyes. Join the bad guys and see a different endgame (not necessarily a lose game sequence either). In other words, this is a true role-playing game, and you are responsible for your own actions.
Desslock: Do you have any tentative plans for "add-on" packs or sequels?
Tim Cain: A sequel will be started immediately. We like our world and have a lot more ideas that couldn't fit into Fallout 1.
Desslock: Other than previously discussed, are there been any significant changes to the game since the demo was released?
Tim Cain: The game has much more story than the demo. You're a man ( or woman) on a mission, and there are a lot of adventure seeds to choose from and ways to solve them. The demo was trying to show off our art and what one seed (getting rid of the gangs) might be like, although due to space limitations, it was a pretty simple seed. We did get to demonstrate the multiple solutions to the seed (kill everyone, let them fight each other and kill the survivors, or just destroy the generator), which is heart of all of the seeds in Fallout. However, since you could only play one kind of character and on just one map, I think the demo was a limited demonstration of Fallout.<table width="140px" align="left"><tr><td>
</td></tr></table>
Desslock: As a game "from the makers of Wasteland", as your web site indicates, are there any features or other touches in Fallout which veterans of Wasteland will particularly appreciate (other than the obvious similarities in setting)?
Tim Cain: You'll finally be able to see what "exploding like a blood sausage" really looks like. We are violent like Wasteland, and I think we share the same "feel" in the adventure seeds. Remember the boy's dog that you went looking for and found, but it was rabid and you had to shoot it, and the boy hated you? We have seeds like that, seeds that make it tough if you try to be a good guy, seeds that are just plain dark in tone.
And then there's a rumor of a certain weapon...
Desslock: What's your current target release date?
Tim Cain: Sometime in September.
Desslock: Do the crazy cartoon guys in your FAQ make an appearance in the game?
Tim Cain: Yes, he's in the manual and the character editor and the opening movie.
Desslock: Hey, who started the war anyway?
Tim Cain: Play the game and you can find out.
In the spirit of Fallout's 10 year anniversary, Desslock released his 10-year old interview with Tim Cain to No Mutants Allowed.
Images added by No Mutants Allowed, not from original interview.
Some Questions about the Plot :
Desslock: There hasn't been a lot of information released on the plot of the game, other than your character's uncomfortable starting predicament – get the water purification system going or "your life in the wasteland is over". Do you have any additional plot tidbits?
Tim Cain: The retrieval of the water chip is only the first third of the game. We're trying not to reveal the overall storyline so that people playing the game can discover what happened after the war (they can even find out why the war happened in the first place).
Desslock: From the beginning of the game straight to the ending: I understand that there will be multiple endings in the game, depending upon the choices your character makes during the game. Could you elaborate on how your character's actions will affect the development of the plot?
Tim Cain: Your player can choose whether to involve himself (or herself) in the events taking place in the world. And if he does involve himself, he can often choose sides, or if acts alone, he can choose to act "good" or "bad". In any case, most of the world locations keep track of what the player does there, and at the end of the game, we have a narration saying what the future of these places will be like depending on that information.<table width="140px" align="right"><tr><td>
</td></tr></table>
Some Questions on Gameplay :
Desslock: Will the game be played in "real time" mode, other than the tactical, turn based combat?
Tim Cain: Yes. One minute of real time equals one minute of game time as the player walks around in the location maps. Of course, as he travels over the world map, which connects locations, we speed up time so you don't have to wait the days it takes to walk from one place to another.
Desslock: Can you elaborate on the new skill based system which you have crafted to replace "GURPS"©?
Tim Cain: We've put together a set of 7 stats, 18 skills, 10 traits, and over 50 perks that are used to define a character. At character creation, you select the stats you want (you have points to spend any way you want), and your skill levels change based on the stats you've picked. You may also select three skills as "tag skills", which will further define your character. Tags skills start at +20%, and they will go up faster than non-tag skills as you spend points on them.
Last, you can pick up to two optional traits to further define your character. These traits are balanced (i.e. good and bad) properties of your character. For example, you can take Fast Shot, which lets you shoot guns for one Action Point less per shot, but you cannot aim the shot. So you may be able to shoot an extra shot in a round, but you can't shoot people in the groin.
Desslock: How will the skill based character development system work? Will a character increase in a particular skill as that skill is utilized, or will you get a certain number of "skill points" to periodically allocate to your character.
Tim Cain: As you go up a level, you get skill points to spend in your skills. Every three levels, you get a perk, which improves your character in some way. Perks have prerequisites, so not everyone is offered the same perks each time. For example, the Master Trader perk is only offered if your Barter skill and Intelligence stat is high enough. Master Trader makes those items you offer to NPCs in trade appear to be worth more than they are.
Desslock: How many different skills are there to choose from?
Tim Cain: There are 18 skills in the system. You start with a low default in all of them.
Desslock: Are there any significant differences between "minor" and "major" skills, other than starting levels? Are there any "unique" skill types, other than the "perhaps gruesome but sure to be entertaining" extra damage skill?
Tim Cain: There are the tag skills, described above. And many of the perks extend and modify your existing skills (such as Master Trader does to Barter).
Desslock: How will NPCs interact with your character and the rest of the world in Fallout?
Tim Cain: You can talk and barter with NPCs, and they can convey important information about the game. Most important characters have digitized speech (but a few important ones don't and a few unimportant ones do, so players won't make assumptions about who should be spoken to and who shouldn't). NPCs keep a reaction meter to the player, so if he makes them angry or happy, they remember and act accordingly.
Desslock: Can you elaborate on the "reputation" or "karma flag" system in the game?
Tim Cain: Certain actions of the player will net him good or bad karma. These actions include saving a town (good) or shooting children (bad). Karma affects reaction levels by NPCs and affects the end game.
Desslock: Approximately how many NPCs are there going to be in the game? How many different enemy types?
Tim Cain: Lots! We have 21 digitized speech heads, and hundreds of non-speech characters. We have 58 different critter body types for enemies and friends.
Desslock: Will NPCs join your party and, if so, will you have any control over them?
Tim Cain: NPCs can join your party, but they act independently in combat. They act to save your life and attack your enemies, for the most part. Sometimes, they will only join you in certain areas, but some will follow you anywhere.
More on Gameplay :
Desslock: How many different "towns" or populated locations are there in Fallout, and how large will these locations be compared to the "encampment" shown in the Fallout demo?
Tim Cain: There are 15 locations. Each one is represented by 2-10 isometric maps the size of the encampment in the demo. In addition, there are some secret areas that are hard to reach, and some random areas that occur when you wander the wastes.
Desslock: How many types of weapons are in the game? Any particularly unique ones?
Tim Cain: Hmm, over 30, and the list is still growing. We have lots of damage types (bullet, laser, plasma, electrical, fire, etc), different gun types (pistol, rifle, gatlings, etc.), different damage amounts, various ranges, and special results (like knockback) that the combinations are huge. And you can often load different ammo into a gun for different effect, since hollow-point and armor-piercing are both useful in their own ways.<table width="140px" align="left"><tr><td>
</td></tr></table>
Desslock: Fallout's detailed tactical combat, complete with critical hits, the ability to aim at specific locations on your target, etc. has been enthusiastically received by role-playing gamers who have previewed the Fallout demo. Do you anticipate that the combat system will be substantially similar to the one previewed in the Fallout demo?
Tim Cain: Yes, we've primarily just been tinkering with combat balance and AI. We have added the ability to speed up NPC turns, so you don't have to wait as long for them to take their turns. The biggest change from the demo is the addition of critical hits and misses. These are specific to the critter you are attacking and the weapon you are using, and combat becomes even more strategic when you are trying to decide whether or not to shoot with a 20% to-hit number, since the chance of critical failure is proportional to the chance of missing. On the plus side, called shots have a better chance of scoring a critical hit (making groin shots even better), but since they are tougher shots, you may critically miss more too. It's all a balance thing.
Desslock: Will there be a day/night cycle in Fallout?
Tim Cain: Yes, complete with dynamic lighting changes and NPCs going to sleep. And lighting affects your to-hit values and also perception rolls, so it matters whether it is day or night.
Desslock: How many hours of do you anticipate it will take the average gamer to complete Fallout?
Tim Cain: About 30-50 hours, depending on the path they take to complete it. But that is to play from start to finish and trying to stay linear. If you want to wander the world map and do lots of random encounters and try to do every quest that comes your way, it may take hundred of hours, especially if you like to talk to everyone and/or kill everything.
The Graphics, Sound and Interface :
Desslock: The graphics in Fallout look fantastic so far, and have a lot of gamers excited about playing a real, live role-playing game which looks so gooood. Great work, by the way. What resolutions and color depths do you intend to support in Fallout? Do you anticipate including any special graphical features, such as dynamic lighting, etc.?
Tim Cain: Fallout is a 640x480 256-color product. We do make use of dynamic lighting and special effects such as translucency (we have a Stealth Boy device that can turn you nearly invisible) and some gorgeous color-cycled animations (one of our artists managed to make the ocean waves lap at the shore when you go to the beach).
Desslock: Have you made any significant changes to the interface since the demo was released?
Tim Cain: We've added a lot of new functionality, like bartering windows to trade with NPCs and action cursors in the inventory screens to allow unloading weapons, setting timers on explosives, opening containers, and things like that. But the interface remains substantially the same.
Desslock: You haven't released much information concerning the music and sound effects you have planned. Will there be CD digital or Midi music? Any particular type or style of music?
<table width="140px" align="right"><tr><td>
</td></tr></table>Tim Cain: We are using all digital music in a dark ambient style. Mark Morgan, our musician, did an awesome job making dark and eerie music for each location in the game. With our cool artwork, this really gives each area its own "look and feel".
Finally...
Desslock: What are two features (perhaps among many) which you believe set Fallout apart from other role-playing games?
Tim Cain: First, different characters really are different. If you make a stupid character, he will have different responses to NPCs dialog, and therefore the game will take a different spin as certain adventure seeds are denied you. Similarly, starting with low combat skills could easily get you killed in the first adventure seed that is offered, since it involves big, dangerous monsters. Likewise, take a high Luck and you may find things in the wasteland that others cannot...
Second, how you behave in the game really matters. Be a jerk, and people won't barter with you. Save a town and become a hero in their eyes. Join the bad guys and see a different endgame (not necessarily a lose game sequence either). In other words, this is a true role-playing game, and you are responsible for your own actions.
Desslock: Do you have any tentative plans for "add-on" packs or sequels?
Tim Cain: A sequel will be started immediately. We like our world and have a lot more ideas that couldn't fit into Fallout 1.
Desslock: Other than previously discussed, are there been any significant changes to the game since the demo was released?
Tim Cain: The game has much more story than the demo. You're a man ( or woman) on a mission, and there are a lot of adventure seeds to choose from and ways to solve them. The demo was trying to show off our art and what one seed (getting rid of the gangs) might be like, although due to space limitations, it was a pretty simple seed. We did get to demonstrate the multiple solutions to the seed (kill everyone, let them fight each other and kill the survivors, or just destroy the generator), which is heart of all of the seeds in Fallout. However, since you could only play one kind of character and on just one map, I think the demo was a limited demonstration of Fallout.<table width="140px" align="left"><tr><td>
</td></tr></table>
Desslock: As a game "from the makers of Wasteland", as your web site indicates, are there any features or other touches in Fallout which veterans of Wasteland will particularly appreciate (other than the obvious similarities in setting)?
Tim Cain: You'll finally be able to see what "exploding like a blood sausage" really looks like. We are violent like Wasteland, and I think we share the same "feel" in the adventure seeds. Remember the boy's dog that you went looking for and found, but it was rabid and you had to shoot it, and the boy hated you? We have seeds like that, seeds that make it tough if you try to be a good guy, seeds that are just plain dark in tone.
And then there's a rumor of a certain weapon...
Desslock: What's your current target release date?
Tim Cain: Sometime in September.
Desslock: Do the crazy cartoon guys in your FAQ make an appearance in the game?
Tim Cain: Yes, he's in the manual and the character editor and the opening movie.
Desslock: Hey, who started the war anyway?
Tim Cain: Play the game and you can find out.