Total Revamp Ideas

I'm working on a design doc, its meant as an outline that will get filled in with details as I commit to them, and then eventually when the project is on its feet it will be turned into a gamewiki.

Working Project name will be Project FOMTOM, I'll start a thread under that alias when I'm ready to post (as it will go from revamp ideas to a working plan). Expected sections I am currently expecting:

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
- Skills & Their Use
- SPECIAL
- Perks
- Derived Stats
- Leveling & XP
- Equipment Fundamentals (AC/DR changes, rules for stat mods)


GAMEPLAY DEVELOPMENT
- Combat System
- Item Distribution (scarcity, use by NPCs)


WORLD DEVELOPMENT
- Setting Outline
- Wasteland Design
- Location Design
- Population Design
- Item Design (how items will be strewn about/arranged)


CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
- Brief Plot Abstract (no spoilers)
- Episode Progression
- Themes (target is an M rating)
- Dialogue/NPC Design
- Quest Prototypes


THE HARD TRUTH
- Why the game is too easy/hard
- Why the game is not fair
- Why I want your feedback, but will not always give you what you want
- Why the game will inevitably break something in canon
- Why the game will be unique
- Why I am making this game!


So that thread should be coming soon, obviously some sections will start near blank as I'll be wanting to run mini-discussions on how things like combat or setting could be improved before I settle on a design. The final section I've already hinted at most of the details in this thread, but I figure it will be important to restate it in the new thread so people understand why I keep saying no to their requests for something like fat man or child killing in the game. Without some focus there is just a lot of anarchy and not enough motion, so the focus comes from me being a cruel (and hardworking) dictator crushing your dreams for a nudity mod in FOMTOM (someone else will build it, no worries).
 
Decided to recreate some of my earlier post on setting discussions.

Some examples:

*** DC + North ***
Borders are North Boston, West Pennsylvania, South Richmond.

Major cities include NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore, Richmond.

Geography is triangle shaped, fanning out from DC in south west, although start location would probably be northern border, user can quest in the direction of DC or Boston to start.

Early Commonwealth would be explored in FO 3 canon. Region excludes the Pitt, so it will not clash with the expansions, however, it would be a natural expansion if people/me wanted to expand my world to include Pittsburgh after the release.

World map is pretty large, with an obvious coastal corridor of high development, and a slightly sparser back region in the northern corner. Scale would be 100x100 mile per episode (roughly 4 days from border to opp border). 10 minute or 30 minute days could both be explored, density along the corridor may make 10 min seem a bit crowded, but locations should still have much more separation than Fallout 3.

Territory contains many famous cities and military installations, as well as prewar centers of politics/commerce/technology. Highly isolated from West Coast events, though in high conflict with FO3 future lore. Back region gives the opportunity for less urban design and some wilderness. Bonus is reuse of all the DC landmark art.


*** Midwest Michigan ***
Borders are North Michigan Upper Peninsula, West Wisconsin Coast, East Toronto, South Indianapolis/Columbus/Pittsburgh.

Major cities include: Toronto, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee.

Geography is basically an offset square around Michigan. Lots of lakes provide natural behaviors to movement and reduce the landmass needed to be generated. Most of the major cities are on the periphery of the lower square, giving a sort of circuit feel, whereas the center of the map would obviously become important as a crossroads. The north can be treated as a large wildnerness, but also serves as a sort of Canada/US front and explore the ramifications of the annexation.

Annexation story would obviously play a part, BOS arrival in the area could be explored (assuming FO2 and Tactics lore). Region has a lot of industrial power, and the geographic properties could be useful for various quest designs. The lakes would be a good excuse for a boat mod.

World map is again huge, but the major cities are in a more dispersed pattern (albeit south biased). 100x100 zones, although the water is all over the interior of the map, so the landscape will feel a lot less like a giant square. 30 minute days might make the upper peninsula unbearable without nearby major population centers, so it is probably more of a 10 min scenario.

Territory contains a good number of major cities, but they are arguably less antsy about their historical look than the East Coast. The DC art however will need to drop some of the obvious landmarks, most can be repurposed for decent usage. The North and the lakes present interesting opportunities for wildnerness in the wasteland.


*** Fallout Hawaii ***
It is on the Hawaii islands, so the ocean provides natural borders. The episodes could essentially be island hoppers.

Terrain could probably be completely reinterpretted as needed, only major city to consider is probably Honolulu. The nature of having an island setting means transportation could be a unique challenge in the game, it may also be used as natural borders for the locations/factions in the game.

Smaller scale of the world map is necessary, could lead to a more detailed area, but probably not the same kind of diversity as the other scenarios.

Includes Pearl Harbor, naval installations abound, and it would be an obvious target for China which would likely be involved in the plot design. It could be easy to create a fairly tight knit scenario that still rivals the size of Fallout 3 and provides the loneliness (across ocean if not the endless wasteland, maybe more Waterworld feel than Mad Max... an option). Again, BOAT MOD, probably even more important.
 
Deadline on setting is tommorrow, not getting too much feedback so currently I'm leaning towards my Midwest Scenario in the vincinity of Michigan. Lose the DC art to a degree, but probably gives the most flexibility in terms of lore (although Kansas would be just as good for that).

If you have a suggestion, throw it in the thread, with the setting I should have enough to post the first design outline.
 
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