Where Will Fallout 4 Be Set?

[Soviet Heavy]

When they do make Fallout 4, I really hope that they continue the idea that the world is slowly getting better. That's what I loved about Fallout New Vegas over 3. It was a world half full, not half empty. Sure it was cynical, bitter, and depressing, but in the end, it was positive. Things will change, one way or another, but they are getting better.

It isn't a grimdark uber depressing setting, but one where progress plays a huge role. If they go back to a bunch of new territories and settlements, that's fine, but as long as they show that things are changing for the better, I will be very satisfied.

 

[KingofMadCows]

Yellowstone National Park.

It would be the perfect place to have a hugely varied environments. There would be areas burned down during the war, high tech areas with geothermal plants, toxic mined out areas that were being exploited for their resources before the war, places filled with mutated fauna, lush forests that are recovering from the war, etc.

It's also an area where a lot of different factions would fight over. There could be a new nation built by the people fled there right after the war. There would of course be tribals and raiders. Depending on when it's set, the NCR and the Legion could be expanded there. Of course, there really wouldn't really be any need for any of the old factions. The game could be centered around completely new factions in the area.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

It'd allow for pretty varied terrain too. Although I'm not sure I want to walk across the prairies, but that's partly because I grew up in the mountains and find flat land incredibly boring. XD

Well, in fairness, it's because flat land is incredibly boring. Have you ever seen Kansas? At first, you're like "Hey, cool, corn!" And then you realize, that that's all there ever will be. Sure, it's pretty, and scenic, and a whole heap of words that make your ears have tiny little wordgasms, but beyond that, there's nothing there. Nothing like the perilous peaks of a large impassible hill with ideas about being bigger than it really is to get your tingles up. Mountains are awesome. They can have all kinds of things around that draw you in. Like passive rivers with remarkable undercurrents, and imminent death by bears looking for a free snack. You don't get that kind of thrill on a plain.

Yeah, pretty much. Except in the Canadian Prairies it's "Oh hey, more wheat. Oh look, mustard (or maybe flax) instead. Oh, even more wheat."

 

[The Harkinator]

Somewhere in central USA perhaps? Also maybe much earlier than previous games?

For me, Fallout needs to step back. Its built up the NCR and the west coast a lot. Perhaps its time to leave it be. Otherwise it will soon become a franchise without a wasteland. So my request to Fallout is: Go back, turn back the clocks to 2100's or very early 2200's. Move away from the coasts and the big factions already built up and start again. Make the wasteland more dangerous and deadly, more of a challenge. Make radiation more prevalent and dangerous. The Mojave desert in F:NV was (in my mind) too similar to the expanses and plains of New Austin in Red Dead Repemption.

Maybe set it in a city? The ruins of DC made a brilliant battleground between man, mutant and everthing in between without comprimising the sense of exploration.

The franchise never really relied on the wasteland. It relied on gameplay, story, and isnt critique of human nature. The wasteland is practically irrelevant. Especially since reforestation has been around for over a century. Besides, just because we have civilization doesn't mean it has to be boring. Any look in a history book will tell you that.

I would never suggest sacrificing gameplay or story in Fallout, or any game. I merely stated what the franchise was to me and how I would like to see the establishment of a post-apocalyptic society as part of a Fallout game.

I never said civilization was boring, I merely thought it might be a good idea to step back from the established parts of Fallout and make something completely new somewhere else in America.

This must be the third or fourth time we've had a discussion in a Fallout forum, I look forward to the next encounter as I find your perspective on Fallout interesting.

Oh crap I just found the "isnt critique" part. I meant to say it IS a critique. I didn't catch that while editing it.

However, the factions themselves are spread pretty far. A lot of the west coast influences spread west, especially since NCR got pretty far. It wasn't until recently when caesar's legion started pushing the NCR back.

The majority of the west coast is covered by tribals retreating from civilization, and countries trying to reclaim land. Ironically, both sides encompass an entire commonwealth. That leaves about 11 unclaimed commonwealths left in America.

So trying to run away from West Coast influence is pretty impossible. It extends as far as Chicago.

Thats why I suggested turning the date back too, theres a lot of interesting stuff that can go on. A particular point I like is perhaps going back to the time when the first Vaults opened, your idea it's a critique on human nature would be a great thing to explore with this sort of point. How would Vault Dwellers cope with early life in the wasteland? Whats their reaction to people from other Vaults? Theres a lot of interesting ideas at any point in the Fallout timeline but a community stepping out of the vault and into the unknown wasteland is one I feel could be explored.

Actually Fallout's critique is far more subtle, but its there. It never actually tells you that its a critique, but once you see it, it hits you like a ton of bricks. Though below contains spoilers.

Spoiler: Dead Money's critique on human nature

Scarcity is the basic rule of economics. It is the one rule that is ever present. Scarcity drives greed. However, with replicators the world becomes post-scarcity. There is no need for greed, because its redundant. Did that stop the attempted heist? Nope. Even when there is no threat of scarcity, they still fell victim to their own greed.

Spoiler: Honest hearts critique

Ever notice that Mormons, the religion that people consider ridiculous, is now criticizing a tribal religion for not making sense? Calling it "tribal superstition?"

Honest hearts is a critique of humanity's sordid history with religion.

Spoiler: Old World Blues critique

This one is rather messy. It goes a number of different ways. Humanity could be the hapless scientists who create miracles of science only to be stuck in a rut. Then again it can also be a call back to Dead Money, in which it could also mean we must let go of the past, and embrace the future. Perhaps it is both, that we must let go of our past and embrace the future. To realize that the world has changed, and we must change with it.

Spoiler: Lonesome Road critique

This one seems to be a dual meaning. It seems to cover nationalism, and symbolism. Holotapes mention how the white legs followed symbols that they didn't understand. It then references how symbols are just messages, and their true value lies in the meaning. People follow the flag they swear allegiance to, but they forgot the meaning those flags carry. It states that flags and symbols change, but the meaning should endure.

In the end, a holotape states that if war doesn't change then humanity must change. If it doesn't, humanity will be stuck in the same cycle of destruction of nuclear war. Though it is implied ulysses is a personification of human nature as he is guilty of every one of the problems the DLCs rail against.

It actually took me a while playing the DLCs before I noticed these patterns. Its a shame not many companies try anymore. Most gamers just play games for loot and fun, and remain oblivious to everything else. Normally I would dismiss these patterns as coincidences, but the guys from Black Isle have a tendency to add critiques to human nature to the games they make. There were even hints at it in Arcanum by Troika, long after Black isle dissolved.

Those critiques of the DLC are all spot on. I would add that Old World Blues carries extra significance in the names of the scientists, they are all never ending loops, 0 is neverending and Borus is the snake devouring itself and looks like the infinuit symbol. They are so absorbed in the loop of the past that they cannot break free and see the present or the future.

 

[WhyBotherToTry]

I'd like to see somewhere like Florida because Fallout 3 covered a city/suburbs sort of environment, New Vegas did the desert and I'd like to see their take on a swampy area. Or if they decided to take a different route, somewhere in Europe or Asia would be nice so we could see if the rest of the world was affected as badly as or worse than America was.

 

[The_Merchant]

Soviet russia,fuck the lore,jus twist and turn it to make it happen
I mean,come on,weve only had deserts and wastelands with caves somewhere inbetween.
How about a setting where nuclear winter is causing havok
with that one more survival element can be added(hardcore mode or not IDC) its trying to get through thecold temperatures and fuckin mutated bears
Also story-wise it would be an interesting setting too.Like seeing the Cold war paranoia from another point of view
and dont dare replying to me with metro 2033 or stalker

 

[shimyia]

i would like to see one in somewhere else than america (even tho that would break the aesthetic)

 

[wintercoat]

Soviet russia,fuck the lore,jus twist and turn it to make it happen
I mean,come on,weve only had deserts and wastelands with caves somewhere inbetween.
How about a setting where nuclear winter is causing havok
with that one more survival element can be added(hardcore mode or not IDC) its trying to get through thecold temperatures and fuckin mutated bears
Also story-wise it would be an interesting setting too.Like seeing the Cold war paranoia from another point of view
and dont dare replying to me with metro 2033 or stalker

Could always go with Alaska or Canada for a cold weather Fallout. Canada was annexed by the U.S. in the Fallout universe after all so technically it counts.

 

[rofltehcat]

Cold war Berlin!

It would be perfect. On the one side of the wall you got the whole american-influenced western part of the city, on the other side of the wall you got the whole soviet-influenced part of the city. Plus army bases of america and army bases of russia in pretty close vicinity. There is also a lot of suburbian/rural space in the surrounding area (so it is not just destroyed buildings. Berlin also has/had a lot of nuclear shelters (partially overhauled WW2 shelters) as well as pretty extensive (mostly hidden/abandoned) underground systems.

The whole west vs. east cold war conflict thing (over-the-top-"superiority of american culture" vs. "working class, everything serious, new soviet culture") could be taken as high as never before in a setting like that!

Plus, Berlin is probably one of the places that would have gone to hell fastest if the cold war had ever gone hot (as hot as the sun's surface).

 

[master4617]

Read a fanfic not to long ago about a NCR ranger that travels from the west coast to the east,
and that got me thinking about how awesome it would be to just travel the whole of North-America.

Realistically that game would probably not be made and if it was it would most likely be MMO, witch would kinda kill the experience for me.

 

[craftomega]

Why does it have to be set in the states guys?

Why not Canada?

Why not Russia?

Why not ANYWHERE BUT THE usa!!!!

Everywhere else was destroyed far before the bombs fell. The ONLY two countries that still existed were China and the US. Even Mexico fell apart when the US occupied the oil rigs and destabilized the governmment.

Everywhere else practically imploded. Even if we went there, there would be nothing left. Nature would have reclaimed all the buildings by now. There would be no mutants, and there will be little to no populace. It would be nothing but wilderness, just like California was in Fallout 2.

In Fallout, if there is no FEV there are no mutants. Radiation didn't mutate anything, it was FEV that made all the mutants. Even then, lore specifically states the ONLY place that FEV exists is a now-destroyed Mariposa military base. By executive order.

No where else except the US would work.

But Canada was annexed by the states in Fall Out didnt you read the news.

haha trick question!!

 

[Jaeke]

Somewhere in a large forest area, probably Yellowstone Park Area or the Appalachians or even somewhere in Canada or along its boarder would be interesting.

 

[Jaeke]

I'd like to see somewhere like Florida because Fallout 3 covered a city/suburbs sort of environment, New Vegas did the desert and I'd like to see their take on a swampy area. Or if they decided to take a different route, somewhere in Europe or Asia would be nice so we could see if the rest of the world was affected as badly as or worse than America was.

ehh i already have to live here, i do not want my favorite games to be here....

But then i guess i get to shoot MIRV's at those damn mosquitos...

 

[VladG]

In Australia. You'd barely be able to tell the difference. Spiders would be smaller...

 

[GameMaNiAC]

New York. Something about the idea of skyscrapers in Fallout really gives me the chills, in a positive way.

 

[N7 Ruiz]

Im going to say it and some will hate me others ehh you might agree with me. I figured it will be Chicago because we get to see another wonderful if you like them side of the Brotherhood so we know how to get PA training there is a Enclave presence so we know we can get some Enclave tech and because most importantly there is a song about it and Chicago is designed like a crazy person I had a friend who suggested NYC but NYC is built like a Grid and thats not fun. I figured they would have a settlement in the football field or the baseball field in Chicago maybe sports/tribal rivals.

 

[sb666]

I don't really mind I just hope its made by Obsidian and not Bethesda

 

[putowtin]

New Orleans would be nice, all that smooth Jazz and the super mutant alligators. Lush green swamps It would make a nice change from grey cities and brown dusty wastelands.

With blues bands full of Ghouls!
(I'd still grab a bear and listen to them!)

 

[Reggie Rock]

someplace other than america. i'd be intrested to see what happened to other places in the world. if it placed in england maybe it would turn back to swamp or maybe if it was in russia there'd be nuclear winter.

They already explained it in the lore. There is absolutely nothing left outside America and China. China itself is boring. That leaves the US the ONLY place left that is still habitable.

Stop saying that. There is NOTHING that says ONLY china and america are remaining. They were the 2 main fighting countries, but they were not the only survivors. Since there is next to no way of finding out information about countries overseas, we have absolutely no idea what is and isnt inhabited.

For all we know there could be extremely prosperous overseas ghoul civilisations. Maybe vaults in other countries. But i highly doubt that any countries not majorly involved in this war is more damaged than those that are.