# Fallout 4 details
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [December 12, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193 "2013-12-12T19:57:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/1 "2013-12-12T19:57:05Z")
War…war never changes. [Even when it’s apparently set in New England.](http://kotaku.com/leaked-documents-reveal-that-fallout-4-is-real-set-in-1481322956) According to casting documents obtained by Kotaku the next Fallout is going to be set in Boston.
Those who played through that Rivet City quest in Fallout 3 will remember hearing that what’s left of Massachusetts is known as ‘The Commonwealth’ - mostly “blasted nothing” like the Capital Wasteland. However, inside what remains of MIT, now known as The Institute, advanced technology including replicant-like androids and tech to increase reflexes.
There’s also talk of conflict between the powers that be and the Railroad, which seeks android liberation. According to Kotaku, the player character appears to be a former soldier and awakes from cyrostasis, rather than exiting a Vault. Last year Three Dog’s actor also hinted at a return for everyone’s favourite schizophrenic DJ.
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### Author:  [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/2 "2013-12-12T20:02:37Z")
Sounds interesting. Any guesses as to when it might come out? I’m doubting 2014 for some reason.
Also, they need to drop that engine of theirs.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/3 "2013-12-12T20:24:50Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#):
>
> Sounds interesting. Any guesses as to when it might come out? I’m doubting 2014 for some reason.
>
> Also, they need to drop that engine of theirs.
Since it’s not even been officially announced yet (so take early details with a large pinch of salt - although I still thinks it’s worthwhile pondering) I’d doubt it very much - Skyrim’s teaser trailer was released in December 2010, the game itself in November 2011. My guess is they’ll wait for the Xbox One/PS4 to get more established.
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### Author:  [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/4 "2013-12-12T20:44:07Z")
Yeah, I figured. Probably big announcement early 2015, E3 2015 trailer dump, Nov 2015 release.
Another thing they need to do as well: Make the game as moddable as possible on PC. Skyrim is STILL one of the top games being played on Steam, and the only reason Skyrim is still being talked about at all has a ton to do with it’s mods.
Mmmmm, thinking about loading up FO3 now. Was that a Game for Windows title? God I hope not.
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### Author:  [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/5 "2013-12-12T21:12:46Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#):
>
> Another thing they need to do as well: Make the game as moddable as possible on PC. Skyrim is STILL one of the top games being played on Steam, and the only reason Skyrim is still being talked about at all has a ton to do with it’s mods.
Fallout 4’s probably going to be built on the Skyrim engine, isn’t it ? There’s no sense throwing it out already, since it’s still gorgeous.
And if so, that’s great news for people who \*need \*their molerats anatomically correct (if perma-erect). For immersion, obviously. 🙂
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/6 "2013-12-12T21:22:32Z")
Since F4 will be built to fit with the PS4 and Xone’s hardware, how might it be different than F3 and FNV?
Also, can people who know more about game design and coding tell me why there have been so few free roaming FPSs with driving? It’s seems possible to do it;I remember Romero saying that the reason Doom was FPS was because it was less demanding on hardware than 3rd person. GTA does 3rd person free roaming with vehicles. It seems that first person and free roaming and vehicles would be a peanut butter + jelly + chocolate combination. So is there a reason F4 might not have that?
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### Author:  [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/7 "2013-12-12T21:29:59Z")
I have but one thing to say about this, and that is “squeeeeee!” Would’ve been interesting to see part of the world outside the States, but I’m neither surprised nor disappointed by this move, and have my fingers crossed for DLC in NYC. 😃
As to vehicles… I’ve gotten so used to hoofing it everywhere in Fallout that driving around would seem a bit off.
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### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/8 "2013-12-12T21:34:44Z")
I’m guessing it makes the world seem smaller. The world of FO3/Skyrim/etc seems huge on foot, but in a car you’d fly by in a couple of minutes and it wouldn’t seem that way as much. So you could design a much bigger world (on next gen at least probably) but it’d have less intricate detail most likely as a design factor, or you’d have to worry that your users would get everywhere too quickly and think the world was inadequate. It’s also harder to design random encounters for a guy driving along rather than a guy on foot.
And really, does it add that much? In real life, we drive everywhere because walking would take forever and be mundane and be boring, but in these games, walking can be exploring, random encounters, etc… not a daily commute. If you’ve already explored an area and travel is mundane, there’s usually a fast travel mechanism. Although, now that I think about it, it’d be cooler if the fast travel mechanism was something airborne like a world of warcraft gryphon.
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### Author:  [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/9 "2013-12-12T21:59:36Z")
> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> Fallout 4’s probably going to be built on the Skyrim engine, isn’t it ? There’s no sense throwing it out already, since it’s still gorgeous.
I hope not. And no, it’s not gorgeous… well, after some high resolution texture mods, an increase in the view distance and LOD levels, new models AND an ENB solution it _can_ look nice:
[http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/11333901483\_39b176215b\_o.png](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/11333901483_39b176215b_o.png)
[http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5522/11332762973\_efff30c7af\_o.png](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5522/11332762973_efff30c7af_o.png)
[ ](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/d2df87be-181a-48ea-ae84-e1fbde9451c7/d6xbhk8-2884e3e1-cfdc-4062-a4a2-ffe6e1cbcaff.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwic3ViIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTpmaWxlLmRvd25sb2FkIl0sIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi9kMmRmODdiZS0xODFhLTQ4ZWEtYWU4NC1lMWZiZGU5NDUxYzcvZDZ4YmhrOC0yODg0ZTNlMS1jZmRjLTQwNjItYTRhMi1mZmU2ZTFjYmNhZmYuanBnIn1dXX0.z_hJqfmvnqzJAn3T00KKKp1FApFqRcgLTmMrca3m6HA)
[http://abload.de/img/tesv2013-12-1121-20-2fxr7h.png](http://abload.de/img/tesv2013-12-1121-20-2fxr7h.png)
But vanilla Skyrim doesn’t look very good. And it animates worse. I don’t know if it’s a limitation of the engine, a limitation of consoles which impacted design, or what. But animations have always sucked in Elderscroll games. I hope that changes.
I’m hoping that they’ve been working on a new engine. I want it to look like this out of the box:
(give her a while to load 😉 )
[http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/709/7099775/2387868-9315091756-iCmrf.gif](http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/709/7099775/2387868-9315091756-iCmrf.gif)
The modders can then take it to ridiculous levels after that.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/10 "2013-12-12T23:59:09Z")
I’d like to see cars in a FO game for two reasons: one, the acme of post-apocalyptic action movies is _The Road Warrior_, and it seems weird to totally ignore that influence. And secondly: seriously, it’s _no one_ has figured out how to use a fission battery to turn an axle?
But like **SenorBeef** , I think we’re unlikely to get that, simply because of the scale. Note that most of those open world driving games have very, very few buildings you can go inside of. I don’t think this is a matter of better hardware - I think it’s time and money, and video game budgets are already bloated and out of control. I’d rather have a Fallout game where I can go into most any building and explore it, rather than one where I drive past endless impenetrable boxes textured to look like buildings.
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### Author:  [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/11 "2013-12-13T17:24:35Z")
For the next 20 hours you can get the first 3 fallout games FREE from GOG - [http://www.gog.com/promo/fallout\_series\_giveaway\_winter\_promo\_2013](http://www.gog.com/promo/fallout_series_giveaway_winter_promo_2013)
I never played them all the way through but I loved Fallout 3.
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### Author:  [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/12 "2013-12-13T18:18:44Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#):
>
> But vanilla Skyrim doesn’t look very good. And it animates worse. I don’t know if it’s a limitation of the engine, a limitation of consoles which impacted design, or what. But animations have always sucked in Elderscroll games. I hope that changes.
Eh, YMMV I suppose. When I first booted Skyrim, I was blown off my seat. (BTW, if you want some \*really \*purdy Skyrimages, head [there](http://deadendthrills.com/gallery/?gid=73). You can thank me when you’ve stopped drooling :)).
Compared to Oblivion/FO3 it’s certainly night and day. On Pluto.
> [@](#):
>
> I’m hoping that they’ve been working on a new engine. I want it to look like this out of the box:
>
> (give her a while to load 😉 )
I’m… pretty sure the Skyrim and Witcher engines are one and the same. At least I know that Witcher armours and models have been ported to Skyrim without a hitch.
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### Author:  [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/13 "2013-12-13T18:47:13Z")
Here’s hoping they learned some things from New Vegas.
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### Author:  [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/14 "2013-12-13T18:52:34Z")
Like “hire writers/designers who know what the fuck they’re doing” ?
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/15 "2013-12-13T20:34:13Z")
> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> Like “hire writers/designers who know what the fuck they’re doing” ?
Really? For my money, _New Vegas_ was the best written and designed of the modern Fallout games.
Okay, also the buggiest, but that’s a separate issue.
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### Author:  [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/16 "2013-12-13T20:58:21Z")
That might have been his point…as opposed to FO3’s “Oh, you have a companion who can waltz right in there, flip the switch and be back out again without a hitch? Nah, do it yourself and die or you’re a pussy!” writing.
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### Author:  [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/17 "2013-12-13T21:14:24Z")
> [@Miller](#):
>
> Really? For my money, _New Vegas_ was the best written and designed of the modern Fallout games.
Emphatic yes. That was my point. When the design team knows what the fuck it’s doing, and also happens to grok the \*Fallout \*universe and its underlying themes (because they fucking came up with them in the first place), you get an exponentially better \*Fallout \*game as a result. It’s all very counter-intuitive, but maybe they learned from those empirical results :).
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### Author:  [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/18 "2013-12-13T21:29:53Z")
> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> I’m… pretty sure the Skyrim and Witcher engines are one and the same. At least I know that Witcher armours and models have been ported to Skyrim without a hitch.
No I don’t believe so. The Witcher 2 engine was proprietary I believe. And so is the Witcher 3 engine.
The Witcher 3 features stuff like modern lighting, global illumination, tessellation and next gen wolf fur 😉
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/19 "2013-12-13T22:07:59Z")
> [@Unpronounceable](#):
>
> That might have been his point…as opposed to FO3’s “Oh, you have a companion who can waltz right in there, flip the switch and be back out again without a hitch? Nah, do it yourself and die or you’re a pussy!” writing.
That’s what happens when the ending is written first and nobody bothers to change it after the rest of the story gets filled in.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-details/676193/20 "2013-12-13T22:21:24Z")
> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> Emphatic yes. That was my point. When the design team knows what the fuck it’s doing, and also happens to grok the \*Fallout \*universe and its underlying themes (because they fucking came up with them in the first place), you get an exponentially better \*Fallout \*game as a result. It’s all very counter-intuitive, but maybe they learned from those empirical results :).
I’m really confused. Are you saying that _New Vegas_ was a good game, or a bad game?
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