Setting of Fallout 4 - Why the Wild West was fun

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The California Literature Review has an article on why Boston should not be chosen as the location for Fallout 4, and why Fallout 3 didn't fit the "Western" style setting of Fallout as well as Fallout New Vegas did.

Part of the article is below:

Sure, on the surface Fallout seems like sci-fi and is thus defined by its unique technology. Technology derived from the McCarthy-era fifties, a time of atomic science that barely understood the effects of radiation. Of computer science that couldn’t fathom miniaturization. Of the unchecked optimism of The Jetsons dashed against the Cold War thermonuclear horror of The Day After and Them!

If taken at face value, the physical setting of any particular game wouldn’t seem to matter so much as the retro robots, archaically advanced laser pistols, or giant fire-breathing mutant ants. You could theoretically put a Fallout game in England, Tokyo, or Brazil if that’s all that mattered. I’ve heard such arguments before.

But to do so would be to miss the point more than your Facebook friend who thinks articles by The Onion are real.

All the hallmarks of the Western are there. Thirstily wandering along at a calculated pace in the waste, sleeping under the stars in the wilderness, taking the role of the unknown gunman who wanders into town to solves everyone’s problems with a hail of gunfire before drifting out like a tumbleweed, the reintroduction of tribal culture set apart from homesteaders on the fringes of societies where law is thin and it’s best to travel with a gun on your belt even if you’d prefer never to use it. Arguably (and that’s exactly what I’m doing) this gameplay is as important, if not more important than the tools used or enemies fought.

More than most games, Fallout captures the nature of rugged individualism idolized in the Westerns of old. It’s a tale of the frontier. Only it’s a new frontier built atop a forgotten history.

American history.

....

This is a primary reason, apart from mere physical location, that Fallout 3 and Tactics are so different from the other three Western games.

They lack a certain sincerity. A light touch of affection to the often cynical portrayals of the small town wasteland oddballs that the series derives a lot of its humor from. A sense of humor that I add, is as vital to the series as the decaying Atom Punk decorum, the retro-future tech or the gunslinging gameplay. It’s an irreverent silliness that’s incredibly necessary, as it prevents the sheer weight of the dying world the games exist in from becoming completely overbearing.

It’s not that the Eastern Fallouts weren’t funny or that they were bad, it’s just that they were missing this certain extra . . . something. In the case of Tactics, it was probably because most of the RPG was stripped out of it. But for Fallout 3, it really truly comes down to location, location, location.

Climbing through the ruins of Los Angeles in Fallout 1, it’s difficult to feel too bad. L.A.’s a city of impermanence that centers around vacuous cults of personality and vanity, and The Boneyard, a settlement replacing it, features a religious order that worships an unseen “Master” who attempts to create “physical perfection” with the Super Mutants while having no singular identity of his own. The joke is obvious – nothing has really changed.

Climbing through the ruins of Washington D.C. in Fallout 3 on the other hand, it’s difficult not get depressed. As you sift through a sacked Smithsonian and notice that the Lincoln Memorial’s head has been decapitated by slave traders? Seeing the loss of all this American History, the loss of our cultural identity – it hurts.


Spotted at NMA. Feel free to discuss the article here or at the California Literature Review.

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  1. DavidYokosukaJapan
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    So I have played and beaten every Fallout game including Tactics and Shelter... 

    Every Fallout game begining in the late 90's... except Fallout 3!! I was actually looking for a Wild West weapon pack or something to make the game bearable to me. So I found this thread...

    I read the original article linked and it's so amazing because this is EXACTLY how I feel about series! I'm actually blown away by how accurately the article expresses my feelings about FO3.

    I have noticed that most people who love FO3 are people who came to the Fallout universe with Fallout 3 since it was a huge blockbuster title while the first 2 were more of cult classics...

    And that's FINE. 

    Anyways, I just have to say that I try to get into FO3. This is my 3rd attempt or so and I always hit this point where I just cannot find the will to go forward. Something about the game is just so dull and I actually DREAD playing because I simply have no interest or motivation. I think that's what the author means when he says it's "depressing". Not depressing in the "City of the Dead" sense (more on that later.)

    To all the people who love Fallout 3 because it is a bleak post apocalyptic world, thats fine. Thats why I liked the first 2. I used to go running and i'd listen to the Fallout 2 soundtrack when running through bleak expanses of the suburbs. 

    One of the major problems with Fallout 3 is the music. It's... blah. It's not bleak, it's not interesting, it's like generic Hollywood music that is all over the place with no cohesion or mood.The first 2 fallout games had such great atmospheric, original music! PLEASE listen to the L.A. Boneyard track from FO1: 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p42x2_p2faA

    Now, I totally agree about the Fallout series being almost western in theme BUT I don't expect everyone to agree with me on this because it is such a subtle point and I don't expect a lot of the younger players who discovered Fallout through FO3 to understand at ALL because FO3 as mentioned did not contain any of this.

     I AM NOT SAYING FO3 is a bad game, i'm saying that if you discovered Fallout through Fallout 3, your expectation and experience will differ VERY HIGHLY from players who first played the older 2d games. That's not a bad thing, it just needs to be acknowledged. 

    Listen to this track from FO1 and tell me that it's not DEEPLY western inspired: 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jxn1sqAQ-c 

    Can you even imagine that track being played in FO3?

    Another issue I have with FO3 is the weapon designs. Sorry, I hate the concept of building weapons out of junk. They all look goofy (and not in a tastefully, funny goofy way) they just look chunky, ugly, and boring. I LOVED the western inspired guns in NV. As soon as NV came out and I saw the cover, I immediately was willing to look past FO3 and give 3D Fallout another shot, and it was great! Not perfect, but the western radio station was superb and felt much better than what I experienced with FO3. The story, factions, pace and flow of the game was much smoother. I never found myself walking around in circles feeling lost or depressed because the wasteland had atmosphere and character. The infamous "green haze" in Fallout 3 doesn't add any character or dimension to the atmosphere. It's just plain goofy and ... ugh.

    One reason many of us associate Fallout with the west also has to do with risk, and LUCK. Gambling is heavily associated with the theme of the wild west, and gambling is heavily associated with Fallout. That's another reason New Vegas made sense. New Reno had already been done in FO2 and it was superb. D.C. just doesn't work (for those of us who were initiated with the 2D fallouts.)

    To me, the track that is most characteristic of the Fallout series, the one that when I first heard deeply captivated my imagination was "City of the Dead". THIS is bleak, THIS is depressing, but in a haunting, mysterious way. Not the empty, tiring way that FO3 makes me feel.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7zfrSJUEbY


    With all of this said, I have high hopes for FO4. Got my pip boy pre-ordered and am hoping for the best.

    For those of you who LOVE Fallout 3 and haven't, don't want to, or otherwise can't play the first 2, do yourselves a HUGE favor and listen to the OST. They are simply incredible and these soundtracks are synonymous with Fallout in my eyes (and ears). One of the most disappointing things for me when I first loaded up Fallout 3 was the absence of this beautiful, haunting music.

    Full FO1 & 2 OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGyB093QOIo


    Anyways, sorry for the ramble. I mean no offense to anyone who loves FO3. I just want people to know WHY we feel this way about Fallout.


    I really like the original Fallout but did not and do not like FO2 -- I get bored. It was the change in atmosphere from the original Fallout and honestly, starting out as a tribal just seemed boring for me.
    Maybe it's because I'm a "city" person and starting out as a vault dweller is more something I could relate to: person from an organized society gets displaced in the wild to complete an enormous task. It's like camping, but with danger.
     
    This is also the reason I really like FO3. That and the grim atmosphere. It's not grim everywhere though. The Republic of Dave, Little Lamplight, or Oasis for example, are pretty light-hearted. I think a lot of the characters have interesting quirks that fascinate me.
    FNV has a lot of sexually themed characters which is okay except when it's kind of forced on you (either directly or in an implied manner). As an older, experienced person, I have enough of that drama in real life so don't seek it or want it in games.
     
    I started FNV with an open mind. I was very excited when it was released! But after playing it I felt let down. Yes, it's great that Obsidian added all the best FO3 mods into FNV as a part of the vanilla game (hardcore mode, faction disguises, legacy weapons, weather, & companion wheel to name a few) but the Mojave atmosphere kind of bored me and I didn't really find the quests entertaining.  The story of NCR vs CL ...well I just didn't really care. It didn't grip me the same way searching for my father, Liam Neeson, did  
    Which is a serious pity because there were some very talented voice actors working in FNV and their acting was great.
    I didn't like that there was no real good explanation why the area north of Good Springs is more scorpion/cazador/deathclaw infested more than any other location in the Mojave.
    The invisible walls that kept us confined really aggravated me. 
    That Caesar's Legionaries wore football gear that deflected bullets actually pissed me off: I shoot a guy wearing a football helmet and sunglasses 3 times in the head with a rifle and he's at 75% health???
    But the final straw was the OWB DLC. That it even made it into a Fallout games makes me sick. The whole time I was in it I was in shock how sloppy and boring the level design was and that the writers excuse for anything they decided to throw in was "it was an experiment." Maybe that's good enough for children who like Saturday morning cartoons but it bored me to exhaustion.
    My assessment was that lazy writers figured "this product will sell itself." I like that in FO and FO3 the writers at least attempt to make us believe by basing the mutations and technology on things that are actually being researched in real life.
    I played thru FNV two times then uninstalled it. Even writing about it now gives me a headache.
    Which is really, really sad because I wanted to like it so much, and that there are some really cool things about it, like the country-western music, and the actors.
     
    Anyhow my point is this: the original Fallout was and is great, FO2 was boring, sadly.
    Fallout 3 was a neat take on the old, and an entertaining adventure.
    FNV was a big, disappointing waste of potential.
     
    I think FO4 will take the best of everything in all the games and combine them.
    There probably will be some aspect of wild west but more likely it'll be closer to early, colonial America --  as it should be.
     
    The wild west was fun, but in FNV it was wasted. Maybe I should look for mods that fix the shortcomings, and then the wild west in Fallout really will be fun.
  2. BlackWolfMagic
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    Check out Black Isle's vision of Fallout 3. Look at the weapon that is equipped.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhWawhaJnC0
  3. BlackWolfMagic
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     Honestly, I think that Fallout could be in many places. There could be a Fallout in Australia for example, maybe in Russia? Go play the first two and you might just change your mind.


    I don't think so. Fallout is about exploring frontiers. It's about risk taking. I.e., everything that makes the old west what it is. Fallout comes from 50's Americana, not Russian or Australian culture. There's a reason for this. The 50's were when America was at a kind of idealized romantic peak. It was the era after the old west had faded away but also when the old west was at it's most romanticized and most popular. 

    Fallout is not just any nuclear ravaged setting, it's a very specific setting for very specific reasons.

    You cannot separate Fallout from 50's Americana, and you cannot separate 50's Americana from the old west. 

    I mean, you could, just like George Lucas could make Greedo shoot first (another old west theme for ya). But you shouldn't.
  4. BlackWolfMagic
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    The West has been done. The East has been done. What about the Midwest? 



    It's been done. Fallout Tactics.
  5. BlackWolfMagic
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    I honestly think the Pacific Northwest would make an ideal setting for a Fallout game. 



    I believe "Klamath" from Fallout 2 is "Klamath Falls", a town in Oregon that i've actually been to. But yeah I totally agree. Everything east of the cascades is a desert in Oregon from the "rain shadow" effect.
  6. BlackWolfMagic
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    So I have played and beaten every Fallout game including Tactics and Shelter... 

    Every Fallout game begining in the late 90's... except Fallout 3!! I was actually looking for a Wild West weapon pack or something to make the game bearable to me. So I found this thread...

    I read the original article linked and it's so amazing because this is EXACTLY how I feel about series! I'm actually blown away by how accurately the article expresses my feelings about FO3.

    I have noticed that most people who love FO3 are people who came to the Fallout universe with Fallout 3 since it was a huge blockbuster title while the first 2 were more of cult classics...

    And that's FINE. 

    Anyways, I just have to say that I try to get into FO3. This is my 3rd attempt or so and I always hit this point where I just cannot find the will to go forward. Something about the game is just so dull and I actually DREAD playing because I simply have no interest or motivation. I think that's what the author means when he says it's "depressing". Not depressing in the "City of the Dead" sense (more on that later.)

    To all the people who love Fallout 3 because it is a bleak post apocalyptic world, thats fine. Thats why I liked the first 2. I used to go running and i'd listen to the Fallout 2 soundtrack when running through bleak expanses of the suburbs. 

    One of the major problems with Fallout 3 is the music. It's... blah. It's not bleak, it's not interesting, it's like generic Hollywood music that is all over the place with no cohesion or mood.The first 2 fallout games had such great atmospheric, original music! PLEASE listen to the L.A. Boneyard track from FO1: 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p42x2_p2faA

    Now, I totally agree about the Fallout series being almost western in theme BUT I don't expect everyone to agree with me on this because it is such a subtle point and I don't expect a lot of the younger players who discovered Fallout through FO3 to understand at ALL because FO3 as mentioned did not contain any of this.

     I AM NOT SAYING FO3 is a bad game, i'm saying that if you discovered Fallout through Fallout 3, your expectation and experience will differ VERY HIGHLY from players who first played the older 2d games. That's not a bad thing, it just needs to be acknowledged. 

    Listen to this track from FO1 and tell me that it's not DEEPLY western inspired: 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jxn1sqAQ-c 

    Can you even imagine that track being played in FO3?

    Another issue I have with FO3 is the weapon designs. Sorry, I hate the concept of building weapons out of junk. They all look goofy (and not in a tastefully, funny goofy way) they just look chunky, ugly, and boring. I LOVED the western inspired guns in NV. As soon as NV came out and I saw the cover, I immediately was willing to look past FO3 and give 3D Fallout another shot, and it was great! Not perfect, but the western radio station was superb and felt much better than what I experienced with FO3. The story, factions, pace and flow of the game was much smoother. I never found myself walking around in circles feeling lost or depressed because the wasteland had atmosphere and character. The infamous "green haze" in Fallout 3 doesn't add any character or dimension to the atmosphere. It's just plain goofy and ... ugh.

    One reason many of us associate Fallout with the west also has to do with risk, and LUCK. Gambling is heavily associated with the theme of the wild west, and gambling is heavily associated with Fallout. That's another reason New Vegas made sense. New Reno had already been done in FO2 and it was superb. D.C. just doesn't work (for those of us who were initiated with the 2D fallouts.)

    To me, the track that is most characteristic of the Fallout series, the one that when I first heard deeply captivated my imagination was "City of the Dead". THIS is bleak, THIS is depressing, but in a haunting, mysterious way. Not the empty, tiring way that FO3 makes me feel.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7zfrSJUEbY


    With all of this said, I have high hopes for FO4. Got my pip boy pre-ordered and am hoping for the best.

    For those of you who LOVE Fallout 3 and haven't, don't want to, or otherwise can't play the first 2, do yourselves a HUGE favor and listen to the OST. They are simply incredible and these soundtracks are synonymous with Fallout in my eyes (and ears). One of the most disappointing things for me when I first loaded up Fallout 3 was the absence of this beautiful, haunting music.

    Full FO1 & 2 OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGyB093QOIo


    Anyways, sorry for the ramble. I mean no offense to anyone who loves FO3. I just want people to know WHY we feel this way about Fallout.
  7. tomj999
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    I personally preferred Fallout 3 to New Vegas simply because the world was worth exploring. Yes I think there should have been more friendly settlements outside of the immediate vicinity of the DC ruins, but that was one of my few complaints. New Vegas on the other hand had a big empty world that wasn't worth exploring. It was pretty much an excuse to go to Vegas. The only thing that made it good was the mods and nothing else. In that way, it wasn't about the setting, but how filled the world was. I want a world that is interesting to explore and many towns to visit. With the Fallout World, that Western feel could be put just about anywhere with good writing and a more even density of friendly settlements.
     
    I honestly think the Pacific Northwest would make an ideal setting for a Fallout game. It would be western, but far enough away from the NCR to be a clean slate. I could imagine a game where Portland and Seattle would be relatively prosperous city states, facing an onslaught of local warlords wanting to control the wealth and technology of those cities and you have to save the cities or side with the warlords because you think the cities are run by jerks. But the cities should have different personalities. This would give Bethesda the ability to test their abilities in a relatively familiar region, the west, but define it as they want.
     
    Also, they could use the Pacific Northwest as an excuse to go to Canada in a DLC and see how the fans react. With the proximity of Vancouver, BC to Seattle, it would make sense to have that city or Victoria feature in a DLC. Then we fans and Bethesda would finally get the answer to whether or not using Canada as a setting would be a smart move. No other American city is that close to a major Canadian city for an easy cross over.
     
    And for the love of God, the Pacific Northwest wouldn't be a giant desert. Its too wet and rainy for that to make sense. 
  8. xENJAJVEx
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    I rarely sympathise with those who speak negatively of Fallout 3, simply because it's different and unlike the originals. But, I feel sympathetic today and that's why I'm not going to breach the peace. Still... I do believe
    that with everything, too much of something is bad. I think that if every Fallout is set in the West, it's going to get pretty bland, isn't it? I love Reese's peanut butter cups but I know if I eat too many of them I'm going to get
    sick of them and probably won't ever eat them again - it's really the same with Fallout. Bethesda should explore every part of America and if they come up with a good story that takes place in California then there's nothing wrong with them setting one there (big opportunity for Easter eggs) or even a Fallout that is set around Utah? Perhaps Vegas could still be accessible to players if it's in the West or even Washington (in addition to the new lands we have to explore) should it be set in the East. I see no reason why places we've already been to in previous Fallouts can't be reused and revisited in future instalments. Obviously, alongside a new area we've yet to explore.
     
    That would be preferable wouldn't it?  
  9. Deleted54170User
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    No Fallout 4?
     
    It's over!
     
    No more do the living remember why they hid in Civil Defense designated shelters from 1935 until the last Atomic Bomb test at White Sands.  Every time an Atomic Bomb was tested the house where I grew up until I was almost 5 was emptied of people, until the atom bomb test was over, and the winds were quiet once again from the south to the northeast.  
     
    Todays young don't have the clear understanding of how my older sister and older brothers were mentally.  Mentally old and tired of fearing for their life, at the behest of many an Atomic Bomb, before they were teen ager youths.
  10. Rooker75
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    He wanted a post-apocalyptic game without the apocalypse. I preferred Fallout 3, precisely for the reasons he gave for disliking it. Even after New Vegas came out, I preferred to fire up Fallout 3 again when I missed radioactive ruins. Crawling through the rubble of DC, you felt like a war happened and a great civilization lay there in ruins.
     
    New Vegas was too empty. The story and quests were better written I'll admit, but it was mainly just empty desert. There were no random encounters (except that annoying SOB who shakes you awake to prattle on about bottlecaps). You could walk around for ages and not see anything interesting. It doesn't look like a war happened, it just looks like everybody moved away and stopped cutting the grass. Also, cazadores.