Despite the release of Fallout New Vegas, the old school modding scene is still growing strong. Some new projects have been announced and we have updates on the old ones:
European Commonwealth: Paris
Grayswandir finally went public with his secret FO2 TC project which is to be set in Paris, France:<blockquote>When the bombs were flying over their heads, the population of Paris did the best they could to flee to safety. The luckiest entered one of the sealed shelters of the European Commonwealth Safeguard Program (one shelter for each arrondissement), while others had no choice but to seek refuge in the large underground networks of the city, in it's metro and Sewers, but also the deep caverns and labyrinthine tunnels that form the catacombs of Paris. But when the bombs stopped falling, many points of egress to the surface where blocked by the wreckage of fallen buildings; those that did find their way out, never came back, and those that settled too close to an exit... began to change... In the minds of the traumatized people, the surface became something as scary as the pits of hell. The survivors had to adapt to their new underground life, when the emergency supplies were finished, rats and mushrooms became the only substance on which to subsist, that is, if you are not into human flesh... The most courageous people improved their lot by hunting some of the new beasts that had recently appeared like apparitions in the darkness of the catacombs. Gangs of thugs settled in front of the underground doors of the EC-shelters to trade their scarce resources for the plentiful products of the hydroponic farms, and they protect this privileged arrangement fiercely against the others gangs.
It's 2167. Your were lucky enough to be born in the EC-Shelter under the 13 Arrondissment of Paris; but your shelter too is blocked underground, and without any contact with Abri Central or with any of the other shelters. As occurs more regularly in these times, the prefect has organised a lottery. Unluckily for you, your number was pulled out. You will have to enter the catacombs to find a way out, and ensure the survival of the shelter. Your secondary mission, is to renew contact with the other shelters and Abri Central.</blockquote>See the time line for some more background information. The great story, new critters and the art direction of the European Vault boy Charles, really make this project stand out.<blockquote>Like the title says it is a mod with the particularity of being based in a part of the world other than the United States, namely the European continent, and since it's a French mod, it will be situated in Paris. Since Fallout is a retro-futuristic universe, the first challenge of our team was to imagine how the 2070 France of the Fallout universe would have developed, if it was based on the spirit of the French fifties. Basically we tried to identify what graphical elements the devs of Fallout chose to create the retro spirit, then we tried to find the equivalent in our country, and adapt it for the mod. We used what we know of the Fallout cannon concerning the EC, and then we built upon it.</blockquote>
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*Discusion on NMA
Fallout of Nevada
The Fallout of Nevada project has released two updates since we first announced it here, and I am happy to report their site is now releasing all updates in English as well as Russian. A Russian only demo has also been released, which could be fun for other modders to poke about in.<blockquote>Development of the game is moving at full speed! We are now 61% complete i.e. 2/3s of the game. It's time to show you all a video report on the completed work. The video describes in the most general terms the main plot and game region. In connection with this some things were added to the concepts section of our site.
Since the last update many things have been achieved, for example, work has been completely finished on the SOS button and the new ability to plant various traps on the ground (conceptual demonstration in Russian).</blockquote>The video is narrated in Russian, but even if you don't understand it, it is still worth watching:
<center>[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqjrxjXMyI8[/youtube]</center>
What Remains
Surf Solar who is more known more his excellent Mark Morgan inspired music, recently announced a new Fonline engine project, which does not sound that unusual considering the dozen such announcements since the SDK was released; except this is the first single player game to be created with this modern-old-school engine. This project is unusual in that it will look and feel like the classics, but will have allot of the bells and whistles Fallout2.exe is missing. This looks like the future of 'Fallout 2' modding, which could be why Fallhope the Van Buren project has ditched the FO engine in favor of it as well.<blockquote>Thanks to the power and usability of the FOnline Engine, it is much easier to create Singleplayer, as well as Multiplayer mods basing on it. As far as I know, I am the only one yet trying to make a singleplayer mod, rather than another multiplayer thingy. Anyway.
The Big Picture: This mod rather concentrates on storytelling, dialogues, player investigation, atmosphere and not really on combat style, saving the world, guys with miniguns and stuff. If you are more into cool new guns and loads of new and shiny stuff, this wont be your thing. If you enjoy immersing yourself into a more serious toned, "realistic" game with rich story telling, then you might like it as much as I do. But, as the biggest limitation I set to myself - I don't want to make it too big, it will feature 3-4 bigger locations and some smaller ones, not making it too huge. I take some unusual way of creating a game - I first make music for a location, and THEN create the location itself. Some other design approach.
Some Story Tidbits: I want this game to be as close in tone and asthetics as it can be to Fallout 1. The Games setting is located in the postwar USA of the "Big Lakes" region in the USA, no one really knows which year it already is, but seeing how fucked up the things are, the years after the great war can be counted on a few hands and toes. Same will be the main keyword of the mod: "Water". You will see many ruined cities too, as Chicago, Detroit and many other metropols lay in this area. You won't be the savior of the world, just some guy trying to come by, but this doesn't mean you can't influence your surrounding areas, doesn't it.
Current Development Status: Music done 60%, SFX done: 80%, Maps done: 50%, Dialogues done: 20% Additional Scripting: Soon Start to work on it.</blockquote>
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</center>
*Discussion on NMA
Red Dwarf Mod
Hudajan made what seemed to be a typical vapourware post about his/her new project a little while ago, but s/he has become an accomplished FO modder in very little time (is already accomplished in other scenes), so an honorable mention is in order. The new critters in production are extremely well done:<blockquote>The game will be situated in open space; you will be moving around the world map with Red Dwarf fueled by hydrogen cells, which will be limited. For scouting and exploring missions, and for landing on planets and asteroids etc you will use Starbug. You probably wont be able to travel through space from the very beginning. Right now I'm working on the graphics, and am only just beginning the process of making this mod.</blockquote><center>The star map
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<center>Some of many Kryten critter animations
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUlVL-EkS3Q&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/youtube]</center>
*Discussion on NMA
PS. Resurrection is still alive, and they sure could use your moral support on their forum.
European Commonwealth: Paris
Grayswandir finally went public with his secret FO2 TC project which is to be set in Paris, France:<blockquote>When the bombs were flying over their heads, the population of Paris did the best they could to flee to safety. The luckiest entered one of the sealed shelters of the European Commonwealth Safeguard Program (one shelter for each arrondissement), while others had no choice but to seek refuge in the large underground networks of the city, in it's metro and Sewers, but also the deep caverns and labyrinthine tunnels that form the catacombs of Paris. But when the bombs stopped falling, many points of egress to the surface where blocked by the wreckage of fallen buildings; those that did find their way out, never came back, and those that settled too close to an exit... began to change... In the minds of the traumatized people, the surface became something as scary as the pits of hell. The survivors had to adapt to their new underground life, when the emergency supplies were finished, rats and mushrooms became the only substance on which to subsist, that is, if you are not into human flesh... The most courageous people improved their lot by hunting some of the new beasts that had recently appeared like apparitions in the darkness of the catacombs. Gangs of thugs settled in front of the underground doors of the EC-shelters to trade their scarce resources for the plentiful products of the hydroponic farms, and they protect this privileged arrangement fiercely against the others gangs.
It's 2167. Your were lucky enough to be born in the EC-Shelter under the 13 Arrondissment of Paris; but your shelter too is blocked underground, and without any contact with Abri Central or with any of the other shelters. As occurs more regularly in these times, the prefect has organised a lottery. Unluckily for you, your number was pulled out. You will have to enter the catacombs to find a way out, and ensure the survival of the shelter. Your secondary mission, is to renew contact with the other shelters and Abri Central.</blockquote>See the time line for some more background information. The great story, new critters and the art direction of the European Vault boy Charles, really make this project stand out.<blockquote>Like the title says it is a mod with the particularity of being based in a part of the world other than the United States, namely the European continent, and since it's a French mod, it will be situated in Paris. Since Fallout is a retro-futuristic universe, the first challenge of our team was to imagine how the 2070 France of the Fallout universe would have developed, if it was based on the spirit of the French fifties. Basically we tried to identify what graphical elements the devs of Fallout chose to create the retro spirit, then we tried to find the equivalent in our country, and adapt it for the mod. We used what we know of the Fallout cannon concerning the EC, and then we built upon it.</blockquote>
<center>
*Discusion on NMA
Fallout of Nevada
The Fallout of Nevada project has released two updates since we first announced it here, and I am happy to report their site is now releasing all updates in English as well as Russian. A Russian only demo has also been released, which could be fun for other modders to poke about in.<blockquote>Development of the game is moving at full speed! We are now 61% complete i.e. 2/3s of the game. It's time to show you all a video report on the completed work. The video describes in the most general terms the main plot and game region. In connection with this some things were added to the concepts section of our site.
Since the last update many things have been achieved, for example, work has been completely finished on the SOS button and the new ability to plant various traps on the ground (conceptual demonstration in Russian).</blockquote>The video is narrated in Russian, but even if you don't understand it, it is still worth watching:
<center>[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqjrxjXMyI8[/youtube]</center>
What Remains
Surf Solar who is more known more his excellent Mark Morgan inspired music, recently announced a new Fonline engine project, which does not sound that unusual considering the dozen such announcements since the SDK was released; except this is the first single player game to be created with this modern-old-school engine. This project is unusual in that it will look and feel like the classics, but will have allot of the bells and whistles Fallout2.exe is missing. This looks like the future of 'Fallout 2' modding, which could be why Fallhope the Van Buren project has ditched the FO engine in favor of it as well.<blockquote>Thanks to the power and usability of the FOnline Engine, it is much easier to create Singleplayer, as well as Multiplayer mods basing on it. As far as I know, I am the only one yet trying to make a singleplayer mod, rather than another multiplayer thingy. Anyway.
The Big Picture: This mod rather concentrates on storytelling, dialogues, player investigation, atmosphere and not really on combat style, saving the world, guys with miniguns and stuff. If you are more into cool new guns and loads of new and shiny stuff, this wont be your thing. If you enjoy immersing yourself into a more serious toned, "realistic" game with rich story telling, then you might like it as much as I do. But, as the biggest limitation I set to myself - I don't want to make it too big, it will feature 3-4 bigger locations and some smaller ones, not making it too huge. I take some unusual way of creating a game - I first make music for a location, and THEN create the location itself. Some other design approach.
Some Story Tidbits: I want this game to be as close in tone and asthetics as it can be to Fallout 1. The Games setting is located in the postwar USA of the "Big Lakes" region in the USA, no one really knows which year it already is, but seeing how fucked up the things are, the years after the great war can be counted on a few hands and toes. Same will be the main keyword of the mod: "Water". You will see many ruined cities too, as Chicago, Detroit and many other metropols lay in this area. You won't be the savior of the world, just some guy trying to come by, but this doesn't mean you can't influence your surrounding areas, doesn't it.
Current Development Status: Music done 60%, SFX done: 80%, Maps done: 50%, Dialogues done: 20% Additional Scripting: Soon Start to work on it.</blockquote>
<center>
*Discussion on NMA
Red Dwarf Mod
Hudajan made what seemed to be a typical vapourware post about his/her new project a little while ago, but s/he has become an accomplished FO modder in very little time (is already accomplished in other scenes), so an honorable mention is in order. The new critters in production are extremely well done:<blockquote>The game will be situated in open space; you will be moving around the world map with Red Dwarf fueled by hydrogen cells, which will be limited. For scouting and exploring missions, and for landing on planets and asteroids etc you will use Starbug. You probably wont be able to travel through space from the very beginning. Right now I'm working on the graphics, and am only just beginning the process of making this mod.</blockquote><center>The star map
<center>Some of many Kryten critter animations
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUlVL-EkS3Q&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/youtube]</center>
*Discussion on NMA
PS. Resurrection is still alive, and they sure could use your moral support on their forum.
?
I am really not the one aquainted with coding, scripting and stuff, but since the code there is more "accessible" and easier to edit everyone can do it.
We still are at a stage where we could switch to the fonline engine without trouble. But right now i am a lot more familiar with the fallout engine, than with the fonline dialog editor and angelscripts!
