Tagz' Fallout 4 outline

Tagaziel

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Something I drew up a while back, while considering a fun new setting.

The year is 2297. A full century has passed since the Warrior merged with the Calculator. The Iron King, as the new entity became known, eliminated the Brotherhood's leadership shortly after his ascension and folded the leaderless organization into its own robot army, creating the Iron Army, a united force of man and droid whose purpose was carving a new kingdom out of the foundations provided by the fascist policies of the original Brotherhood.

Gradually, as the Iron Army subjugated rogue units that refused to be absorbed by the new organization and conquered new towns, the Iron King enacted new policies. First, he outlawed slavery and racism, as they were obstacles on the way to creating a brave new world. Second, through upgraded protocol robots, he estabilished a new system of control, removing old leaders and replacing them with his artificial agents. Third, he unified the economy to create a single, powerful industrial engine focusing on rebuilding the infrastructure of the cities under his control, first and foremost rebuilding the Buena Vista nuclear power plant.

As the years passed, the Iron Kingdom prospered, estabilishing reclamation operations in major cities in its sphere of influence, creating a stable agriculture and recultivating cities. But all was not well. Without a mortal shell, the Warrior's mind slowly lost its connection to humanity, slowly becoming as cold and calculating as the very enemy he fought all those years ago. Cold logic and absolute reason slowly dominated in everyday governance, creating an unforgiving, yet prosperous kingdom.

The Iron Kingdom, powerful as it may be, is just one of several powers that flourished in the wastes. The mutant tribes from Florida, chased away from the peninsula by a massive flood are coming into the Midwest, while the rulers of Ronto just recently launched a campaign of expansion to secure the Great Lakes after allying themselves with Lord Ashur of the Pitt.

And then there are the news of a mysterious plague spreading in the northern reaches...

Gameplay
*First person perspective, with a complete overhaul of mechanics based on Far Cry 2 gunplay (unless possible to return to the isometric gameplay of old).
*Instead of a seamless, but miniature world, the game offers a large worldmap with individual locations represented by large, detailed maps that feel like cities, not movie sets.
*Diverse major locations, including Ronto, the Iron Throne (formerly Cheyenne Mountain), Chicago, the Crawling City, all connected by the worldmap.
*A multitude of minor locations, together with an easy-to-use location editor, allowing seamless integration of new locations into the existing worldmap.
*Weapons deteriorate and eventually break realistically. Repair is handled by swapping out parts (barrel, trigger mechanism, weapon body, focusing crystals, capcitors, amplifiers), rather than banging together two copies of the same weapon.
*Weapon mods expanded, featuring removeable add-ons in addition to permanent modifications (think S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat).
*Armours that can be modified.
*Overhaul of the inventory system, a proper backpack is needed to actually carry your inventory (think Jagged Alliance 2 v. 1.13).
*Robust faction system, just like in Fallout: New Vegas.
*A wide selection of weapons based on the catalogue available in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, omitting real-life weapons.

Thoughts?
 
Sounds like pretty much the best we know from predecessors and good mods, bundled together.

What about the hero, who is he and where does he start? Do the Warrior have some masterplan for humans and is he connected to that plague in any way? Did he just let decay his humanity or twisted it in some perverted logical way, connected to some agenda, like cyborgising (on, heh, voluntary base?)
Or does someone just twist his logical way against him and how does it affect the ways of third, fourth and else? Do these have some profits/ways to handle it?

I mean, who are the factions?
 
Alvarez said:
Sounds like pretty much the best we know from predecessors and good mods, bundled together.

What about the hero, who is he and where does he start? Do the Warrior have some masterplan for humans and is he connected to that plague in any way? Did he just let decay his humanity or twisted it in some perverted logical way, connected to some agenda, like cyborgising (on, heh, voluntary base?)
Or does someone just twist his logical way against him and how does it affect the ways of third, fourth and else? Do these have some profits/ways to handle it?

I mean, who are the factions?

The hero in this setting is the classic blank slate for the player to fill in with traits, perks etc. that form a part of the extended background (kind of like choose-your-bakcground dialogue responses in New Vegas). As a blank slate, he's a wild card free to side with any of the factions.

Speaking of the factions, I've envisioned it including Ronto (from across the Great Lakes), allied with Ashur, then the Iron Throne, followed by mutants and localized factions.

This is me more or less brainstorming ideas, while also looking for themes that would stay consistent with Fallout, eg. human propensity for conflict, trying to answer if the end justifies the means, the relative natures of good and evil etc. etc.
 
Tagaziel said:
The hero in this setting is the classic blank slate for the player to fill in with traits, perks etc. that form a part of the extended background (kind of like choose-your-bakcground dialogue responses in New Vegas). As a blank slate, he's a wild card free to side with any of the factions.

As in original Fallouts, i think he must have a primary objective that drives the story forward, thus allow his story to develop. He can't just pop out of nowhere with nothing to do.
So, in Fallout 1 and 2 this objective was to find a item to ensure the survival of your home, in Capital Wasteland it was a family person and in New Vegas it was information bound to your former task and a bit of revenge.
In Tactics, you were driven by orders and you had clear objectives.

So what will it be in yours, Tagaziel? If you want a small brainstorm, okay, i could suggest some oblivious vault dweller with rather strange, jagged memories - as it would be fabricated by some defective computer. Turns out it was fabricated. And why is there a chip in his head? And why is the Iron King after his brain? Just because of the chip or because the VaultDweller such a hero and great person?
Where did the chip came from? And is the chip a part of something greater? Why does the VaultDweller have a scar over where your navel must have been? Yeah, it has something to do with a memory of a fall somewhere. But this memory is inconsistent, fabricated, something that makes the hero suspicious. Why can't he remember where his Vault City was, so he should seek the contact person/terminal to enter it after he's done. Should he trust this person/terminal? He seems friendly, but he slips words about his predecessors, as experience. Avoid this, avoid that, as the "former experiences showed...erhm, nevermind". There were predecessors?

So why does its memory tell him to wander straight into the north, where, as everywhere told is a great evil comes from? Should the hero listen to all who discourages him to do that? Should he investigate, question his objective? Or just complete his objective, just as a brave VaultDweller should? Why is there such a pain when he leaves his path? Should he cure it with painkillers and investigate further or just make it stop by coming back to his path? What can he do to stop it permanently?


Okay, 'his' Vault City is NOT the one the Wastelanders keep talking so snidely about. That would also explain, why people becomes unfriendly when he mentions his beloved Vault City. Are there more of Vault Cities? Does his Vault City exist at all? Why is he called pilgrim by everyone and is been seen already before, even being killed but popping out of nowhere later? He has a twin brother? A big family?
They have big expectations...but the memories are somewhat glitched.

Pardon me, i speak in hints, but i do not want to rob you of pleasure to speculate. I could, of course, explain more clearly.

Tagaziel said:
Speaking of the factions, I've envisioned it including Ronto (from across the Great Lakes), allied with Ashur, then the Iron Throne, followed by mutants and localized factions.


I'd like to proceed brainstorming, because the topic IS interesting, but i'm out for time and ideas ATM. But you could add something, it's your setting, what do you think about the alliance of Ronto and Pitt? Is it a solid binding in all terms or do they pursue their own agendas or even consider betrayal at some stage?
 
Repair needs to be changed. Weapons should not degrade. That makes it less realistic and immersive and makes it more "damn, I need to repair AGAIN!". Its a chore rather than something fun. It should be done like skyrim. The higher your repair the better quality you can make your weapon. The lower the quality the lower the damage, accuracy, and it jams more often. It could use more ammo. Like with small guns, the ammo keeps cooking off even after you let go of the trigger, or it stops shooting while you are holding the trigger. Energy weapons become less efficient. Just don't do it like fallout 3 and new Vegas.
 
I disagree. Weapon maintenance is something that is very important for a post-apocalyptic world, but I believe it should be totally re-hauled.
I had a vision for it, but I'm not ready to submit it to you all yet.
 
The originals didn't have it. Just because its post apoc, it doesn't need weapon degradation. Its a chore. Or, if it must be added, make the game pass in real time, so a minute in game is a minute in real life. And lower how much the weapon is effected. Also the things should never be completely broken.
 
I agree about the completely broken part.
However, chores are what made Fallout interesting to me. Wandering a barren wasteland with only 8 shots in my rifle and a rusty knife, I need to find somewhere to eat and clean water, and at the same time keep my weapons in good condition.

In Fallout New Vegas it was far too easy to rise above that sense of "wandering the dangerous wasteland". Kill a couple raiders and you'll have advanced combat armor and assault rifles in no time.
 
Hey Tagz, Great Idea! But I have one thing to tell you...

Would you trust Bethesda making this?
 
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