Setting games circa Fallout 2

[TomJ]

For starters, this isn't about Bethesda or its writing abilities. They could write a good game if they want to, they choose not to and we get Fallout 4. That's all that needs to be said on the Bethesda sucks/Obsidian good front.

After getting into the Fallout series with 3, it bugs me that the games keep getting set farther into the time line. I personally believe that it limits the writing and will be the death of the series some day, despite Bethesda's mismanagement. I get Fallout New Vegas' place of finishing Fallout 2's loose ends, but the series needs to grow. This means going into new regions, new regions without any defined story. Which makes setting games farther along a weird proposition.

For instance, it a game were set in Portland (like I would like to see, I'm totally being biased) in the current methodology of story writing, a game would have to be set sometime after Fallout 4. This means that they story would likely just be stuck sometime far enough into the future for the NCR to be there doing whatever. This leaves us with one defined faction and others with virtually no back ground. This will likely piss people off, I mostly mean people here, especially if Bethesda figures to do this. I know some people would be fine with new factions so long as they aren't done badly, but some will get mad because they weren't mentioned before in previous games.

Now that I'm past the rambling, I'm saying that if a game is set in a new region ex the Pacific Northwest, it would be best to set the games earlier in the timeline. It's getting harder to believe that the whole world is fucked when the NCR is alive and kicking in 2280 when Boston can't deal with raiders in 2287. It would be better to set a game around Fallout 2 so story elements can be hinted at, like the NCR, the destruction of the Enclave, and so on. But then not have the NCR, BoS or even the Enclave feature in said game. Leaving the new game up on its own. Its set in the same universe, but I'll use Portland again, is totally on its own to face its own problems. The major post war events of the classic games being a back drop, not what defines them.

 

[PossibleCabbage]

I think the thing is, after an apocalyptic event different regions are going to advance at different rates based on all sorts of highly local factors (how badly did it get hit, what natural resources are available, how many people are still alive there, etc.) So if you're setting a game in a region that doesn't intersect with anywhere else we've been in the Fallout world, you don't need the civilization there to be at any given level just because a few hundred years have passed. Just look at how different civilizations in different parts of the world advanced differently in the pre-modern era.

You could theoretically have a Fallout game set in a particularly hard hit area in the year 3000 and there doesn't have to be any significant progress made, because nobody bothered to live there until recently.

 

[DarkCorp]

A story that takes place circa Fallout 1 but in a completely different location.

DC, midwest, Arizona, etc, what were these places like around the time or even earlier than fallout. Maybe give beth a chance to redeem or retcon their terrible storytelling.

The protagonist doesn:t even have to be a vault dweller but knowing beth, who knows.

 

[Dr Fallout]

A story that takes place circa Fallout 1 but in a completely different location.

DC, midwest, Arizona, etc, what were these places like around the time or even earlier than fallout. Maybe give beth a chance to redeem or retcon their terrible storytelling.

The protagonist doesn:t even have to be a vault dweller but knowing beth, who knows.

I'd love to see a game set before Fallout 1 but somewhere else. Could be interesting.

 

[Ben Soto]

How about New Orleans, circa F3.

 

[Dr Fallout]

How about New Orleans, circa F3.

Yeah maybe, that's a really interesting place.

 

[TomJ]

I think the thing is, after an apocalyptic event different regions are going to advance at different rates based on all sorts of highly local factors (how badly did it get hit, what natural resources are available, how many people are still alive there, etc.) So if you're setting a game in a region that doesn't intersect with anywhere else we've been in the Fallout world, you don't need the civilization there to be at any given level just because a few hundred years have passed. Just look at how different civilizations in different parts of the world advanced differently in the pre-modern era.

You could theoretically have a Fallout game set in a particularly hard hit area in the year 3000 and there doesn't have to be any significant progress made, because nobody bothered to live there until recently.

And the NCR was founded in Southern California with the ruins of LA and San Diego as founding regions. Those two cities would have been bombed hard. Being the first large targets the Chinese would have flown over.

I'm not necessarily talking about large targets like New York or DC, but smaller areas like Portland, New Orleans, other parts of Texas. Its a dumb design choice to have one huge urban area that would have been obliterated be stable enough to form a civilization (never mind the Vault Dweller) and other smaller targets like Portland or cities in the upper Midwest wouldn't be.

 

[DarkCorp]

I think exploring smaller towns that wouldn't have been hit as hard by nukes, would bring back that wasteland feel.

I mean, if we go far enough back, we might even be able to explore what would become legion territory, have endings, and still not fuck with canon.

 

[Dr Fallout]

I think exploring smaller towns that wouldn't have been hit as hard by nukes, would bring back that wasteland feel.

I mean, if we go far enough back, we might even be able to explore what would become legion territory, have endings, and still not fuck with canon.

Yep, I'd love to see the more smaller feel of the apocalypse.

 

[DVL]

I'd like to see western Colorado set in a prequel timeline before Fallout 1.
The NCR, Legion and Brotherhood wouldn't exist or have made it that far and even by Fallout 2, it's plausible that none of those factions would have a strong hold on the region anyway.
Beautiful mountain country, but we might've seen enough of the midwest as it is.
Incidentally, it has NORAD, so you'd probably have to explore that at some point.

 

[TomJ]

I think exploring smaller towns that wouldn't have been hit as hard by nukes, would bring back that wasteland feel.

I mean, if we go far enough back, we might even be able to explore what would become legion territory, have endings, and still not fuck with canon.

I'd love to see how the Legion rose. What it took to build them.

 

[Dr Fallout]

I think exploring smaller towns that wouldn't have been hit as hard by nukes, would bring back that wasteland feel.

I mean, if we go far enough back, we might even be able to explore what would become legion territory, have endings, and still not fuck with canon.

I'd love to see how the Legion rose. What it took to build them.

Fuck yes, anything with the legion that's well written has my vote.

 

[Languorous_Maiar]

I mean, if we go far enough back, we might even be able to explore what would become legion territory, have endings, and still not fuck with canon.

So Van Buren basically? Dreams.

 

[DarkCorp]

Well, VB was F3, the original 3s vision. I am talking about a time frame either at the same time or earlier than F1. We would have the very nascent beginnings of society again with an extremely dark and gritty feel.

Running into the BoS either at Mariposa and seeing the chaos or experiencing their trek to Lost Hills from Mariposa.

Seeing the birth of the hub and the water merchants rise to power. Deckers shady dealings and alliances which would eventually propel him into the underboss he becomes.

The chaos of V15s opening and the different factions, with their ethnic and religious differences, going their own way.

Something I would really like, experiencing first hand, Harolds vault opening, his days as a trader, the trek to Mariposa and seeing what happened to Richard Grey. Just listening to Harolds account was deeply immersing, about the expedition being torn to pieces by mutations and automated defenses.

The rise and transformation of Sallow, Graham and the legion. This time with much more of a grey approach than what NV offered us. This could be another game as well.

We may know canon but how was that achieved? The possibilities would be endless.

 

[TomJ]

Well, VB was F3, the original 3s vision. I am talking about a time frame either at the same time or earlier than F1. We would have the very nascent beginnings of society again with an extremely dark and gritty feel.

Running into the BoS either at Mariposa and seeing the chaos or experiencing their trek to Lost Hills from Mariposa.

Seeing the birth of the hub and the water merchants rise to power. Deckers shady dealings and alliances which would eventually propel him into the underboss he becomes.

The chaos of V15s opening and the different factions, with their ethnic and religious differences, going their own way.

Something I would really like, experiencing first hand, Harolds vault opening, his days as a trader, the trek to Mariposa and seeing what happened to Richard Grey. Just listening to Harolds account was deeply immersing, about the expedition being torn to pieces by mutations and automated defenses.

The rise and transformation of Sallow, Graham and the legion. This time with much more of a grey approach than what NV offered us. This could be another game as well.

We may know canon but how was that achieved? The possibilities would be endless.

Not only could we explore the beginning of the Fallout Universe and how some of the factions we know rose, we could also see the development of other factions in between games or just develop some factions. Like the Legion or Midwestern BoS. I want to see the Midwestern BoS in a new game! For the love of the gods, a faction that large wouldn't just collapse or if it did, it wouldn't be pretty.

Also not to mention adding diversity into the series that will keep it going. Not only would I like to see a game with the Midwestern BoS or Legion further defined, I'd also like to see locales where the existing large factions aren't present. I love the BoS, but sometimes, I'd like to see a game where they are either a myth or completely absent from the story.

 

[Spacemunkey]

I'm thinking Mexico city, the way Raoul talked about it there's a lot of story to be had there.

 

[Dr Fallout]

I'm thinking Mexico city, the way Raoul talked about it there's a lot of story to be had there.

Especially the Poseidon copy Petro-Chica company. Possibly a subtle attempt by Poseidon to force influence onto the Mexican government, which could make for an interesting setting where an American COMPANY has more power in the country then the American government, which would be slightly different to the usual government style subtle control.

 

[TomJ]

I'm thinking Mexico city, the way Raoul talked about it there's a lot of story to be had there.

Especially the Poseidon copy Petro-Chica company. Possibly a subtle attempt by Poseidon to force influence onto the Mexican government, which could make for an interesting setting where an American COMPANY has more power in the country then the American government, which would be slightly different to the usual government style subtle control.

I'd also like to see games set in other parts of North America. I'd like to see Canadians and Quebecois fighting against the descendants of American occupying forces. Toronto was mentioned in The Pitt, that leaves it wide open. I'd like to see what happened in Canada and whats going on there now.

 

[Dr Fallout]

I'm thinking Mexico city, the way Raoul talked about it there's a lot of story to be had there.

Especially the Poseidon copy Petro-Chica company. Possibly a subtle attempt by Poseidon to force influence onto the Mexican government, which could make for an interesting setting where an American COMPANY has more power in the country then the American government, which would be slightly different to the usual government style subtle control.

I'd also like to see games set in other parts of North America. I'd like to see Canadians and Quebecois fighting against the descendants of American occupying forces. Toronto was mentioned in The Pitt, that leaves it wide open. I'd like to see what happened in Canada and whats going on there now.

Mexico is better in my opinion due to having a more unique culture, which leads to a much wider array of factions and stories.

 

[Spacemunkey]

Mexico is better in my opinion due to having a more unique culture, which leads to a much wider array of factions and stories.

That's my thinking. I really wish we could see another take on the Fallout universe, and while I do love the west coast I really think a change in geography is in order.