Ideas for Fallout 4

[Cowabungaa]

Here's one idea.

[HEADING=1]Wash. your damn. WINDOWS.[/HEADING]

*ahem*

Yes I know, society is still rebuilding, but it's two centuries after the war. A little housekeeping to not make even the most important buildings look like absolute ratholes isn't that much to ask now is it? The least you can do is clean the freakin' place every now and then.

Other than that:

- Stuff to explore that's actually worth exploring, areas with meaning, importance and their own little stories.

- True signs of a new civilization rising from the ashes of the old one. New buildings and architecture, based on the old world but still new.

- More life. More interaction between NPC's, NPC's doing a lot more in general. Think STALKER and GTA4.

- Greenery dammit! A world after a nuclear disaster isn't a world in which nature has disappeared, just look at Chernobyl.

- Destroyed cityscapes that are actually properly open to exploration. Washington was way too limited.

- Of course a new game engine opening up the game a lot more. Really, the way Vegas was split up was pretty lame.

- Keep New Vegas' reputation system. Way more interesting than karma, and more realistic too.

- Keep the wide array of choices we had in New Vegas on how to solve the main quest. Hell, expand that and use it for most big questlines. I like my roleplaying. Actually, give us the opportunity to use Speech even more.

Probably more but that's all I could be bothered to come up with at the moment.

The formula needs to be kept fresh.

50s British pop culture is equally as iconic and cool as American one - so I think something set in London would be great.

If Fallout keeps visiting American 50s culture it will just be stale and boring - it's already started to become stale and boring I think.

But it wouldn't be Fallout. That's key to Fallout being Fallout; showing a perverted version of McCarthyism gone hogwild, how underneath a thing coat of neatness there's still brutality. Fallout at it's heart is a parody of the United States. There's still loads more they can do in the States, so there's no need to be worried about it getting stale.

snip despite epicness

I like your way of thinking. Oh yes, I like it a lot. But San Fransisco being generic? Really? They can do a lot with San Fransisco.

 

[Eldrig]

I really think it would be cool to have one set in Vancouver or Toronto (not just because I'm Canadian) but because it would be interesting to explore the aftermath of the USA's annexation of Canada.

 

[Popadoo]

If there are cities, make them fucking accessible. I don't want to have to go through a maze of subway tunnels just to get to a building I can't reach due to 5 feet of rubble on the road!

I know Fallout 3/NV were HUGE games, but I want more to do and a bigger map. Maybe I just have an unquenchable thirst for content but as expansive as Fallout 3/NV felt, after 30-50 hours I felt like I didn't quite have a purpose.

As for location, either New York or perhaps a different country. New York because it would be an excuse to add Frank Sinatra to the many AWESOME old songs that play in the games, and I'm behind on my Fallout lore, but I'd guess lots and lots of other countries other than America and China were bombed? Personally I'd like that to be a last resort, because the 'old-timey' American feel is great.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

They should have vehicles (Tactics had them after all).

Fallout 2 did as well. In addition to the Enclave and their Vertibirds, you as a player could also unlock and upgrade a Cryslus Motors Highwayman. So there's precedent for player-owned vehicles even in the main-series titles.

 

[Seanfall]

What will it likely be? Either San Francisco, Chicago or New York. Yet more ruined cityscapes and post-apocalyptic decay, with people still shambling around in rags and hobo gear, despite the fact that nearly two centuries have now passed since the nukes dropped.

What would I like to see? A Fallout game set in Louisiana. Fallout: New Orleans, or something like that. The setting has everything you would need to make a new Fallout game that has enough of the old games to be recognisable, but enough new stuff to actually feel original and fresh.

- the Jazz culture. You know all those jazz and swing tunes that give Fallout its atmosphere? Straight out of Louisiana. New Orleans isn't regarded as the Jazz capital of the world for no reason. Set the next Fallout game around New Orleans, and you've set it in the birthplace of America's defining musical genre.

- The history of racial tension. You know how Fallout has always played with ideas of American culture from the 40s and 50s? Well guess what, racial segregation was a huge part of Fifties culture. Black people still had to ride separate buses, go to separate schools, the whole shebang. If Bethesda wants Fallout to keep riffing on Fifties culture, then they're going to have to touch on this issue at some point. And the cities of Louisiana, which historically have always had predominantly black populations, provide a perfect context to actually explore that. Dilapidated segregation signs, crumbling bus-shelters for whites only, abandoned schools for white children...

- The swamplands. Fallout 3 and New Vegas have pretty thoroughly done the whole Apocalytic Desert thing now, and to keep rehashing it would only get old and stale. Louisiana, lying as it does on the Mississippi, is rife with swamplands and rivers, which would provide as drastic a change as you could imagine. Imagine having to venture from one town to the next, only to find you must contend with radioactive snakes, mutated alligators, and a whole host of other swamplife that have been affected by radiation and FEV. Even the trees and plantlife could be mutated into strange new forms, which would certainly make a change to yet more barren, lifeless wastelands.

- The clash of cultures. If there's one thing that defines American culture, it's that there is no singular form of it. American culture has always been borne out of the clash of other cultures, and Louisiana would allow developers to explore this in interesting ways. Cities like New Orleans became a home for hundreds of thousands of Africans who had been captured by slavers, and became a melting pot of exotic cultural ideas. Why else do you think New Orleans has such a rich history of Voodoo culture? Instead of rehashing the cultural idea of the Fifties Nuclear Family yet again, how about if the next Fallout explored some of the more exotic, surreal elements of American culture?

-Lastly, it takes place far away enough from the settings of the other games that you don't have to tie the events of the game's narrative with those of earlier games. If the next Fallout game takes place too close to Vegas or Washington, then sooner or later they're going to have to explain just what happened with the war between the NCR and Caesar's Legion, the Capital Wasteland, etc. With New Orleans, it's remote enough a setting that you can make occasional references to earlier games while still keeping the narrative separate and unique.

Not that any of this will happen, mind you. As far as Bethesda is concerned, Fallout is ruined cities and wasteland, so I expect the next game will be not all that dissimilar to Fallout 3, except that instead of Washington, the generic wasted cityscape will be named after some other big American city. Probably San Francisco...

That's....not a bad idea. They kinda explored the swamp idea (very briefly) in Point Lookout. But in New Orleans they could use the local flora an fauna to replace 'wasteland' only critters. I mean mutated bipedal aligators instead of death claws. Giant Dragonflys and lighting bugs replace giant ants and bloatflys. I could see that happening yeah.

Captcha: Pipe Dream.....that's...ominous.

 

[artanis_neravar]

They should have vehicles (Tactics had them after all).

They should have more realistic settlements like in the originals with irrigated crops on farms and wells for water.

If there are cities, make them fucking accessible. I don't want to have to go through a maze of subway tunnels just to get to a building I can't reach due to 5 feet of rubble on the road!

I know Fallout 3/NV were HUGE games, but I want more to do and a bigger map. Maybe I just have an unquenchable thirst for content but as expansive as Fallout 3/NV felt, after 30-50 hours I felt like I didn't quite have a purpose.

As for location, either New York

Some random thoughts on character origin... I think it would be interesting to see multiple origin stories. As part of the character creation, you can pick where you are from, and give the game multiple starting points. Doesn't need anything too complex...

Heres the situation, a vault group went out to study the local area. While working, a raider group ambushes them, and chases them to a nearby town. The town, while normally holding a semblence of peace with the raiders gets drawn into the conflict. Meanwhile an outsider from far north wanders into town.

With that situation your character can now start the game in the same area, but taking the role of a vault dweller, a raider, a local from town, or the wanderer. tutorial quests will be sorting out the situation described, and after that drop hints of a larger plot. I'd start with a focus more on survival at first before getting too heavy into things.

Man I love those games... I think I'll have to do some reinstalling this weekend.

Basically all of these,
Along with the ability to set up camp, like climb to the roof of a walmart like store, set up defenses, etc.

 

[verdant monkai]

Question
Does Fallout always have to be in America?

I dislike the fallout series. 3 sucked because the shooting was clunky and awkward. The AI was accurate as hell and I often got caught out in the middle of nowhere and got shot to pieces, whilst I tried to melle them, cos I had no bullets in the first place.

Why not base a fallout game somewhere new? I understand that developed area's will all look very similar in a post apocalypse situation. But Russia or India would look different they have based all of them so far as I know in a America why not mix it up a bit?

 

[370999]

snip

While I do love the ideas you put forward, I'm a tad hesitant on the racial issue. Do you want it to carry on to people who make black characters? Because I'm not sure how much I would like them to be punished for that.

Also I do think the fallout history of the 50s seemed to be a bit divorced from the reality, for instance, there seems to be very little mention of any political parties, which I can kind o understand as a desire t avoid people soap-boxing.

I'm with you though on championing New Orleans (or rather Old Orleans, geddit?). Everything from Voodoo to the French.

My own personal desire would be for perhaps a more sympathetic antagonist faction. I did like the Legion and though they were great plausible, they just didn't really seem that sympathetic. Also the possibility to dual wield weapons.

 

[artanis_neravar]

What will it likely be? Either San Francisco, Chicago or New York. Yet more ruined cityscapes and post-apocalyptic decay, with people still shambling around in rags and hobo gear, despite the fact that nearly two centuries have now passed since the nukes dropped.

What would I like to see? A Fallout game set in Louisiana. Fallout: New Orleans, or something like that. The setting has everything you would need to make a new Fallout game that has enough of the old games to be recognisable, but enough new stuff to actually feel original and fresh.

- the Jazz culture. You know all those jazz and swing tunes that give Fallout its atmosphere? Straight out of Louisiana. New Orleans isn't regarded as the Jazz capital of the world for no reason. Set the next Fallout game around New Orleans, and you've set it in the birthplace of America's defining musical genre.

- The history of racial tension. You know how Fallout has always played with ideas of American culture from the 40s and 50s? Well guess what, racial segregation was a huge part of Fifties culture. Black people still had to ride separate buses, go to separate schools, the whole shebang. If Bethesda wants Fallout to keep riffing on Fifties culture, then they're going to have to touch on this issue at some point. And the cities of Louisiana, which historically have always had predominantly black populations, provide a perfect context to actually explore that. Dilapidated segregation signs, crumbling bus-shelters for whites only, abandoned schools for white children...

- The swamplands. Fallout 3 and New Vegas have pretty thoroughly done the whole Apocalytic Desert thing now, and to keep rehashing it would only get old and stale. Louisiana, lying as it does on the Mississippi, is rife with swamplands and rivers, which would provide as drastic a change as you could imagine. Imagine having to venture from one town to the next, only to find you must contend with radioactive snakes, mutated alligators, and a whole host of other swamplife that have been affected by radiation and FEV. Even the trees and plantlife could be mutated into strange new forms, which would certainly make a change to yet more barren, lifeless wastelands.

- The clash of cultures. If there's one thing that defines American culture, it's that there is no singular form of it. American culture has always been borne out of the clash of other cultures, and Louisiana would allow developers to explore this in interesting ways. Cities like New Orleans became a home for hundreds of thousands of Africans who had been captured by slavers, and became a melting pot of exotic cultural ideas. Why else do you think New Orleans has such a rich history of Voodoo culture? Instead of rehashing the cultural idea of the Fifties Nuclear Family yet again, how about if the next Fallout explored some of the more exotic, surreal elements of American culture?

-Lastly, it takes place far away enough from the settings of the other games that you don't have to tie the events of the game's narrative with those of earlier games. If the next Fallout game takes place too close to Vegas or Washington, then sooner or later they're going to have to explain just what happened with the war between the NCR and Caesar's Legion, the Capital Wasteland, etc. With New Orleans, it's remote enough a setting that you can make occasional references to earlier games while still keeping the narrative separate and unique.

Not that any of this will happen, mind you. As far as Bethesda is concerned, Fallout is ruined cities and wasteland, so I expect the next game will be not all that dissimilar to Fallout 3, except that instead of Washington, the generic wasted cityscape will be named after some other big American city. Probably San Francisco...

That could be good.

Personally I was hoping for New York City, except the city survived, so life in the city went on like normal while life outside the city, say New Jersey, is typical tribal society. Tribal army wants in and the city folk want to keep them out.

Maybe make it so there is no good or evil side, like the tribals just want into the city for a better life, but since violence is all they really know, they tried to take it by force. While the city folk have grown up in fear of the surrounding area and want to keep the tribals away because of that.

You come in as an outsider with no connection to either side. And during the game you have to decide which side to support. Depending on your actions you can chase the other side away or completely destroy them. There would also be the option to attempt to broker a truce between the two sides, but to preform that successfully would be extremely difficult, and require certain events to have happened.

The different factions you can join would each support one of the two main sides, but in secret, and the missions they send you on will start to tip the balance in favor of their chosen side. For example, the BOS could support the tribals, because they want to get into the city to gain access to their tech. So the BOS will send you on missions that, while they may not seem like it, will reduce the effectiveness of the city's defenses, or strengthen the tribles.

For an added ending you could even gain the personal support of all of the secondary factions and lead your own army against the tribals and the city folk.

 

[Kordie]

snip

While I do love the ideas you put forward, I'm a tad hesitant on the racial issue. Do you want it to carry on to people who make black characters? Because I'm not sure how much I would like them to be punished for that.

Also I do think the fallout history of the 50s seemed to be a bit divorced from the reality, for instance, there seems to be very little mention of any political parties, which I can kind o understand as a desire t avoid people soap-boxing.

I'm with you though on championing New Orleans (or rather Old Orleans, geddit?). Everything from Voodoo to the French.

My own personal desire would be for perhaps a more sympathetic antagonist faction. I did like the Legion and though they were great plausible, they just didn't really seem that sympathetic. Also the possibility to dual wield weapons.

Racial issues dont have to continue to be about skin colour, it can quite easily translate to anti-ghoul/mutant mentality, or an anti-outsider vault. Having said that, I'm all for changing a players experience based on how their character is made. If race/gender selection is available, I feel like it should have some impact. On that note, I would like the game a bit more adult geared. In fallout 1, you could sleep with a slave runner in return for letting someone go (with enough charisma... maybe it was just a discount) and in 2 you could get a "porn star" trait. I can rob a grave, shoot people in the face in slow motion, and nuke a small town... why can't I have sex anymore?

 

[artanis_neravar]

Question
Does Fallout always have to be in America?

I dislike the fallout series. 3 sucked because the shooting was clunky and awkward. The AI was accurate as hell and I often got caught out in the middle of nowhere and got shot to pieces, whilst I tried to melle them, cos I had no bullets in the first place.

Why not base a fallout game somewhere new? I understand that developed area's will all look very similar in a post apocalypse situation. But Russia or India would look different they have based all of them so far as I know in a America why not mix it up a bit?

All of the back lore is about America, as far as we know bombs fell everywhere else, but they didn't have vault-tech so no one else would have survivors, at least not enough non-ghoul survivors to establish a society

 

[Kordie]

New york idea

I like the idea of new york for 1 reason, and it alone is enough... Fallout influenced mafia. I was really disapointed with the "kings".

 

[370999]

snip

While I do love the ideas you put forward, I'm a tad hesitant on the racial issue. Do you want it to carry on to people who make black characters? Because I'm not sure how much I would like them to be punished for that.

Also I do think the fallout history of the 50s seemed to be a bit divorced from the reality, for instance, there seems to be very little mention of any political parties, which I can kind o understand as a desire t avoid people soap-boxing.

I'm with you though on championing New Orleans (or rather Old Orleans, geddit?). Everything from Voodoo to the French.

My own personal desire would be for perhaps a more sympathetic antagonist faction. I did like the Legion and though they were great plausible, they just didn't really seem that sympathetic. Also the possibility to dual wield weapons.

Racial issues dont have to continue to be about skin colour, it can quite easily translate to anti-ghoul/mutant mentality, or an anti-outsider vault. Having said that, I'm all for changing a players experience based on how their character is made. If race/gender selection is available, I feel like it should have some impact. On that note, I would like the game a bit more adult geared. In fallout 1, you could sleep with a slave runner in return for letting someone go (with enough charisma... maybe it was just a discount) and in 2 you could get a "porn star" trait. I can rob a grave, shoot people in the face in slow motion, and nuke a small town... why can't I have sex anymore?

Oh I get that, I really liked the fact that in New Vegas a female character couldn't participate in the arena for the Legion. I think it's partly how much impact choices have on the game. I like it if they give you options, I just would never want to see someone punished for making a colored character.

Do you get me? It's kind of a degree issue for myself.

 

[Marsell]

NW Arkansas (or just the Ozarks)
Its very forestry and hilly here and that would be interesting to see ruined forests while trying to climb these god-awful mountains on foot. (or just ambient radiation, NWA is pretty out of the way all around)

What will it likely be? Either San Francisco, Chicago or New York. Yet more ruined cityscapes and post-apocalyptic decay, with people still shambling around in rags and hobo gear, despite the fact that nearly two centuries have now passed since the nukes dropped.

What would I like to see? A Fallout game set in Louisiana. Fallout: New Orleans, or something like that. The setting has everything you would need to make a new Fallout game that has enough of the old games to be recognisable, but enough new stuff to actually feel original and fresh.

- the Jazz culture. You know all those jazz and swing tunes that give Fallout its atmosphere? Straight out of Louisiana. New Orleans isn't regarded as the Jazz capital of the world for no reason. Set the next Fallout game around New Orleans, and you've set it in the birthplace of America's defining musical genre.

- The history of racial tension. You know how Fallout has always played with ideas of American culture from the 40s and 50s? Well guess what, racial segregation was a huge part of Fifties culture. Black people still had to ride separate buses, go to separate schools, the whole shebang. If Bethesda wants Fallout to keep riffing on Fifties culture, then they're going to have to touch on this issue at some point. And the cities of Louisiana, which historically have always had predominantly black populations, provide a perfect context to actually explore that. Dilapidated segregation signs, crumbling bus-shelters for whites only, abandoned schools for white children...

- The swamplands. Fallout 3 and New Vegas have pretty thoroughly done the whole Apocalytic Desert thing now, and to keep rehashing it would only get old and stale. Louisiana, lying as it does on the Mississippi, is rife with swamplands and rivers, which would provide as drastic a change as you could imagine. Imagine having to venture from one town to the next, only to find you must contend with radioactive snakes, mutated alligators, and a whole host of other swamplife that have been affected by radiation and FEV. Even the trees and plantlife could be mutated into strange new forms, which would certainly make a change to yet more barren, lifeless wastelands.

- The clash of cultures. If there's one thing that defines American culture, it's that there is no singular form of it. American culture has always been borne out of the clash of other cultures, and Louisiana would allow developers to explore this in interesting ways. Cities like New Orleans became a home for hundreds of thousands of Africans who had been captured by slavers, and became a melting pot of exotic cultural ideas. Why else do you think New Orleans has such a rich history of Voodoo culture? Instead of rehashing the cultural idea of the Fifties Nuclear Family yet again, how about if the next Fallout explored some of the more exotic, surreal elements of American culture?

-Lastly, it takes place far away enough from the settings of the other games that you don't have to tie the events of the game's narrative with those of earlier games. If the next Fallout game takes place too close to Vegas or Washington, then sooner or later they're going to have to explain just what happened with the war between the NCR and Caesar's Legion, the Capital Wasteland, etc. With New Orleans, it's remote enough a setting that you can make occasional references to earlier games while still keeping the narrative separate and unique.

Not that any of this will happen, mind you. As far as Bethesda is concerned, Fallout is ruined cities and wasteland, so I expect the next game will be not all that dissimilar to Fallout 3, except that instead of Washington, the generic wasted cityscape will be named after some other big American city. Probably San Francisco...

That could be good.

Personally I was hoping for New York City, except the city survived, so life in the city went on like normal while life outside the city, say New Jersey, is typical tribal society. Tribal army wants in and the city folk want to keep them out.

Maybe make it so there is no good or evil side, like the tribals just want into the city for a better life, but since violence is all they really know, they tried to take it by force. While the city folk have grown up in fear of the surrounding area and want to keep the tribals away because of that.

You come in as an outsider with no connection to either side. And during the game you have to decide which side to support. Depending on your actions you can chase the other side away or completely destroy them. There would also be the option to attempt to broker a truce between the two sides, but to preform that successfully would be extremely difficult, and require certain events to have happened.

The different factions you can join would each support one of the two main sides, but in secret, and the missions they send you on will start to tip the balance in favor of their chosen side. For example, the BOS could support the tribals, because they want to get into the city to gain access to their tech. So the BOS will send you on missions that, while they may not seem like it, will reduce the effectiveness of the city's defenses, or strengthen the tribles.

For an added ending you could even gain the personal support of all of the secondary factions and lead your own army against the tribals and the city folk.

you do know the A-bombs dropped in 2077 right? Pretty sure the big thing that alters the timestream is the cold war being an actual war. Never got any racism in the last 2 games. Racial tension would be an interesting albeit risky story element.
Another idea is to do a setting to where the apocalypse IMPROVED the standard of... oh wait NM.

 

[Kordie]

Oh I get that, I really liked the fact that in New Vegas a female character couldn't participate in the arena for the Legion. I think it's partly how much impact choices have on the game. I like it if they give you options, I just would never want to see someone punished for making a colored character.

Do you get me? It's kind of a degree issue for myself.

True, I suppose it is pretty tricky to add racism in a game without actually being racist. There is a line you don't want to cross and it's going to be in different places for everyone.

 

[370999]

Oh I get that, I really liked the fact that in New Vegas a female character couldn't participate in the arena for the Legion. I think it's partly how much impact choices have on the game. I like it if they give you options, I just would never want to see someone punished for making a colored character.

Do you get me? It's kind of a degree issue for myself.

True, I suppose it is pretty tricky to add racism in a game without actually being racist. There is a line you don't want to cross and it's going to be in different places for everyone.

Yeah especially if it's going to be prejudice against existing groups. But I do like what you are saying with the need for characters to actually feel like they are part of a world which does have different societal expectations upon different groups of people.

you do know the A-bombs dropped in 2077 right? Pretty sure the big thing that alters the timestream is the cold war being an actual war. Never got any racism in the last 2 games. Racial tension would be an interesting albeit risky story element.
Another idea is to do a setting to where the apocalypse IMPROVED the standard of... oh wait NM.

I do think the Fallout history is a bit weirder then that. For starters being a Cold war against China.

 

[Da Orky Man]

As long as it stays in America. Now, I know what people are thinking "oh but wouldn't post apocalyptic ______ be cool?" YES but not in the Falloutverse. Fallout relies on its old 1950s nuclear age Americana style for its main aesthetics, and without that.....its just another post apocalyptic game.

The formula needs to be kept fresh.

50s British pop culture is equally as iconic and cool as American one - so I think something set in London would be great.

If Fallout keeps visiting American 50s culture it will just be stale and boring - it's already started to become stale and boring I think.

The next game could just feel like a reskin of 3 or New Vegas.

Although I do believe that it should stick to America, imagine a Fallout game set in Glasgow. You barely be able to tell the difference. On one side, a horde of knife-wielding maniacs chasing you down a derelict alleyway. On the other side, a horde of knife wielding maniacs chasing you down a derelict alleyway.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

(Disclaimer: Has only played Fallout Tactics and a bit of 3)

A large array of joinable factions, each of which gives you their own ending once you help them to achieve their end goal, whether that goal is noble or evil or somewhere in between. Of course to keep it a cohesive story you'd need an powerful enemy faction that everyone else hates and vice versa, something like Liberty Prime or the Master. Include vehicles, some of which are faction-specific just like weapons.

In the same respect, more variety in enemy types. Lots of robots, mutants (both humans and animals), raiders and ghouls. It also occurred to me that anyone who was at sea when the bombs fell (like say... pirates) might potentially live through it and come back to the wasteland.

Setting sort of reminds me of Battletanx, which had quite a few factions even in the first one which was limited to the US.

 

[Risingblade]

More enemies! What really put off in New Vegas was the lack of enemies and random encounters.

 

[teh_Canape]

how about more interesting companions like say, Goris?
or hell, just bring Goris back

although that would be, in Frank Horrigan's words, a canonical "big ol' mushroom cloud"