Designing playable locations

In Fallout designing playable locations is a bit different that let's say designing castles or dungeons in Neverwinter Nights 2. Even with fantasy settings that have "long lost civilizations or ruins" have a different feeling to them than Fallout setting locations.

In my opinion you have to first not to think about the adventure player is going to have. Well, not completely true since when you think of a location you have an idea how it fits into your story or quest. But point I'm trying to make is that first you should design the area as it was originally planned for: a shopping center, a gas station, a library or a powerplant. Put in place buildings, roads, parking areas, bus stops, houses etc... all the things that are needed there in real world. Think: Why did this area exist in the first place?

Then break your area, destroy it, nuke it! Imagine what the place would appear like after nuclear holocaust or 100 years of non-activity. Is there power? Is there ruins? Are there cars? Has the river water flow stopped? Make your area show the contrast of what was and what is.

Finally make it fun: have raiders built a base into the area? Has someone moved all the rubble and scrap to make a fortress? Have mutants spawned into the area? Is there still some unlooted treasure? Can you find desperately needed resources there? Can I charm the enemy to attack it's allies? Are there still some 100-200 year old robotic defenses active? Oh, and add multiple ways to "win" the area: fighting, negotiating, hacking, lockpicking or just exploring diligently. Personally, I think shooting and fighting are always the option for retarded players and should (and will in my mod)) always give less XP and less adventure than any other approach. However, this is Fallout and some ultra-violence with black humor is a must. But only when used rarely. Of course if someone likes to roleplay a mass-murderer, go ahead, but I find it boring.

So, anyway: build, break & fun. That's my "design method" :-)

Dunghill

Hi! This time I'm showing you two images from the first town (probably) that player is going to find: Dunghill


Dunghill is a small town community that has been attacked by raiders for years and years. It's on the trading route making it interesting place to visit for new equipment and information about wasteland.

Unfortunately all those years of raider attacks have left the townfolk very unfriendly towards visitors and strangers. Those that don't have business, such as trading, are left outside the town walls. Getting in is the first quest of Dunghill.

Walls and the town itself is built from waste, destroyed buildinds and vehicle parts. I wanted to have look & feel of Junktown from FO1. This town is on the Wasteland worldspace so you can enjoy the barren, rough beauty of the wasteland on top of Dunghill houses. I've already made 90% of building indoors, scripted NPCs, written dialogs and such. Most of the quests will take you outside town but there's still stuff to do in town as well.

So, when you try my mod, it's a good idea to check out Dunghill before heading deeper into the post-apocalyptic wastes :-)

Designing Vault 44 Entrance

First I designed the vault entrance. I wanted it to remind Fallout 1 entrance. There is a small security station, supply room and observation / control room with windows to the room with big gear door. Also there is a small decontamination chamber next to the entrance that allows returning player to remove some of the radiation accumulated when adventuring outside.

So there is two parts of plot happening here: 1) the briefing and player leaving the vault and 2) when player returns to visit the vault during the adventure. Originally the entrance is locked, but it is unlocked when player accepts the quest from overseer to go exploring with other 3 "volunteers".

The Vault-Tek plan for this Vault was to preserve a piece of American culture. One of the things is 50's style diner (yeah, in this mod too :-), radio playing oldies and other things you'll find out by playing the mod.

Below is an image how the entrance area looks in Geck.