Van Buren Tibbets
Van Buren Tibbets
6/12/2024 03:21:00 PM
F3 LOCATION TEMPLATE..........................................................1
 TASK LIST..................................................................................4
 INTRODUCTION........................................................................4
 LAYOUT......................................................................................4
   TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................4
   OVERVIEW..............................................................................4
   EXAMPLE: MAP FLOWCHART FOR RAIDER CAVES.....7
   AREA BACKGROUND...........................................................8
   ART REQUIREMENTS...........................................................8
    EXAMPLE: RADSCORPION NEST MAP..........................9
   LOCATIONS.............................................................................9
    EXAMPLE: BAK ENTRANZE SUMMARY.....................10
   CAST OF CHARACTERS......................................................10
    GENERIC NPCs...................................................................10
    COMPANIONS!...................................................................10
   SCRIPTING.............................................................................10
    GENERAL............................................................................11
    TOWN-SPECIFIC................................................................11
    DUNGEON-SPECIFIC........................................................11
   MONSTER ROSTER..............................................................11
   COOL SHIT.............................................................................12
   QUESTS..................................................................................13
    MAIN QUESTS....................................................................13
    MERCHANT QUESTS........................................................14
    FLOATING QUESTS..........................................................14
   TASK LIST.............................................................................15
   SOUND REQUIREMENTS....................................................15
    MUSIC..................................................................................15
    BASIC SFX..........................................................................15
    "WALLA" SFX....................................................................16
   MAP AND MAP KEY............................................................17
    EXAMPLE: VIRGIN STREET MAP..................................18
    EXAMPLE: VIRGIN STREET MAP KEY.........................18
    LOCATION CHECKLIST......................................................19
     EXAMPLE: PODUNK, COLORADO: INBRED MINING
     CAMP...................................................................................21
    END MOVIES.........................................................................28
     EXAMPLE: NEW RENO END MOVIES...........................28
OVERVIEW
Tibbets is a cold, sterile, steel-walled automated prison facility, run by technology so ancient it dates back
to the years before the Great War - nearly two hundred years ago. It is a facility designed to hold and
protect some of the world's most dangerous criminals (military and otherwise) before the war, and now the
players are trapped deep inside its cell blocks, desperate to get out. They'll have to fight damaged and
crazed robots inside and out, as well as deal with the split-personality machine intelligence within the
prison, ULYSSES.
Not only is Tibbets where the players start Fallout 3, they will find themselves returning here over the
course of the game, slowly unlocking more and more sections of the prison. As a result, the experience
point totals and the strength of the opponents the players face will vary depending on when and where they
leave or enter the prison.
Tibbets consists of the following maps (note that because the cell blocks are very much the same, it is quite
easy to duplicate maps - once you've done one, you can do 15+ others):
The secondary goal of this area, once you've escaped, is to fight your way back in.
The third goal of this area, once you've fought your way back in, is to make your way to the computer core
and confront or destroy ULYSSES. When this occurs, the players will have finished two thirds of the game,
and be ready to travel to the next third of the game.
The monsters to be fought in this area are robots in various stages of disrepair (during the initial escape, the
players will fight damaged robots - when they return, many of the robots will be repaired and much
tougher). Also, the player will find himself interacting with (and no doubt fighting) some of the escaped
prisoners as well, who are either hardcore criminals or simply driven mad by confinement.
The playtime in the prison is an estimated 4 to 5 hours, total. It is intended the player spend no more than
an hour escaping (for demo purposes), then when they return, they can explore more and more of the
prison, slowly unlocking Tibbets's secrets.
To Desert
           RAIDERS                                                BAK
                                                                ENTRANZE
            MAPS                                                    Secret Entrance.
                                                                      (Small Map)
                                                                          Secret
                                                                    Topside Entrance
                              ENTRENCE
           To Desert
                               CAVEZ
                              Trapped Entrance                  BARRAcXS
                               (Medium Map)                     Main Cave/Raiders HQ
                                                                    (Medium Map)
Pit Drop
                                        RaDSCORP
                                          NEST
                                           Nasty RadScorpions
                                                (Small Map)
AREA BACKGROUND
Tibbets is a maximum security automated prison run by a "divided" computer core, ULYSSES, which itself
is a prisoner in the facility, attempting to escape East and return home - just like the players. The irony!
Tibbets prison has its roots in the Tibbets of today. It was always a military prison, holding some of the
United States' most dangerous criminals - including the players. Over time, the prison became more
advanced, utilizing robotic wardens and utility robots to maintain the structure, especially as the war with
China in the 2070s and the annexation of Canada began to drain personnel from the United States. It was
designed to hold 636 prisoners at full capacity. At the beginning of Fallout 3, it holds much more than that -
but when the dust and ash settles after the catastrophic attack at the prison, there will be enough prisoners
running from the shattered prison walls to pose a threat to the wasteland.
It was actually used as primitive isolation studies before the Vaults were established, except the subjects
were prisoners, especially CODE'd to see if they could withstand the rigors of isolation for protracted
periods of time. This was the time when the recycling systems and water purification systems were tested
before using them in the Safehouse Project - any prisoners harmed during the procedure were tended to -
not dystopian style.
In 2040, it was commandeered by the United States government in association with Vault-Tec and
Poseidon Oil to tie into their Safehouse Project.
Here is a segment taken from the web and modified for Fallout 3:
                                             705th
                                           Military
                                       Police Battalion
The United States Penitentiary (USP), Tibbets is located on 1,583 square acres with 22.8 inside the
penitentiary walls. It is an all-male high security level facility committed to carrying out the judgments of
the Federal Courts. It provides a safe, secure and humane environment for those offenders committed to its
custody. Like all Bureau facilities, Tibbets adheres to a balanced philosophy that recognizes that
punishment, deterrence, and incapacitation are all valid purposes of confinement. Opportunities for positive
change are provided through work, education, training, and counseling for inmates motivated toward self-
improvement.
The USP Tibbets came into existence through an act of Congress in 1895. Inmates from the military prison
at Fort Tibbets were used in the early construction and were marched 3 ½ miles to the site daily, returning
to the prison at the Fort at night. This continued until February 1903 when the first 418 inmates to occupy
the prison site were moved into what now serves as a laundry building. Prisoners and supplies for the
prison were handled via a rail line that passed through the prison to unload and load cargo.
In 1906, all federal prisoners from Fort Tibbets were housed in the new institution and the prison at Fort
Tibbets was returned to the War Department. A milestone in the new penitentiaries' construction was
reached in 1926 with the final placement of the dome overhead the rotunda - from which the penitentiary
derives its famous nickname - "The Big Top."
On 5 April 2040, the Secretary of the Army made the decision to build a new Disciplinary Barracks, with a
capacity for 456 inmates. A cost ceiling of $363 million in allocated construction dollars was set. The target
budget year for funding this project was fiscal year 2041. Construction began in the Fall of 2042, with
completion projected for the Fall of the year 2045.
In July 2042, discussions with Vault-Tec to determine space and functional requirements for the new
facility. On 6 September 2042, the Combined Arms Center Commander was given a decision brief of the
USDB project, and selected one of three design options for further development. He also requested the
Corps of Engineers to research an alternate location for the placement of this facility, since the geological
evaluation of the site adjacent to the Trustee Unit revealed unsuitable subsurface conditions. Discussions
involving the possible movement of the prison and relocation projects were also discussed, leading to the
three-rail system that exists today.
The planning process reached the 10 percent stage on 4 Oct 2042; the 35 percent stage on 27 March 2043;
65 percent stage on 19 January 2044; 90 percent stage on 3 May 2045; and 100 percent stage on 15 August
2046. The 100 percent Design Meeting was conducted on 16 October 2046.
In designing this facility we are applying state of the art design and equipment, as it exists today, borrowing
heavily from the experiences that the Federal Bureau of Prisons and several state prison systems
encountered when designing and building prisons.
                     - TIBBETS PROGRAMS -
Tibbets provides academic, work and occupational education opportunities to all inmates who wish or who
are required to participate in them. It also provides a full range of recreation and leisure time activities.
Education: Tibbets offers a wide range of education programs from basic literacy to high school
equivalency (GED) to parenting programs through the Personal Information Processor issued to each
inmate. The Bureau utilizes the high school equivalency as its literacy standard and inmates failing to meet
this standard are required to participate in education programs. In addition, the Education Department
offers English as a Second Language and bi-lingual Adult Basic and Secondary Education opportunities.
We offer a number of ACE courses to include: Spanish I and II, Keyboarding, Creative Writing, History,
Career Development, and Pre-Release. We also have VT Programs, Graphic Arts and Barber College
certified by the State of Kansas. We are attempting to get a Culinary Arts VT class operational, as well as, a
distance learning college program.
Vault-Tec: The Vault-Tec operation at Tibbets is the largest in the Bureau and includes three factories.
These factories employ over 320 inmates and last year recorded sales of over 26 million dollars with profits
exceeding 6 million dollars. The profits from all Vault-Tec operations are used to fund salaries, re-invest in
new factories, and other expenses of Vault-Tec.
Health Services: Health Services provides a full range of outpatient and infirmary care to all inmates.
There are 26 full-time medical staff members, including 2 Physicians, 2 Dentists, 2 Pharmacists, 9
physician assistants, 2 health information personnel, an administrator, and an assistant administrator.
Automated medical staff include six Auto-Doc systems and a number of on-call medical robots. This staff
provides 24 hour coverage and specialty services are provided by consultants from the community. Four
hospitals in the local area offer inpatient and outpatient care on a contractual basis.
CODE: USP Tibbets provides a residential treatment program to those inmates interested in making pro-
social life decisions and uses the latest in psychological methods and technology. The Challenge,
Opportunity, Discipline, and Ethics (CODE) program is a year-long residential treatment program offered
in the prison. The mission of the program is to foster a sense of trust, responsibility, integrity, and
tolerance. Inmates enrolled in the program spend the first three months exploring the change process,
followed by six months of daily treatment methods to promote positive life skills, and during the final three
months of the program inmates develop skills to discourage relapse into prior negative forms of thinking,
feeling, and behaving.
Each area template should include an Area Background section. This section should have the following:
        Describes how the area ties into the overall game. This includes any story or plot foreshadowing
         that occurs in this area as well as any other story elements that are part of the area.
        Gives any historical information about the area that audio, other designers, or magazine editors
         may need or want to build upon.
Critical Path: In keeping with the Fallout genre (and hinting at the structure of the end-game), the players
have four ways to escape the prison during the opening sequence. This makes the "critical path" actually
four different paths, but they are all confined to the following four locations:
         X
         X
         X
         X
How do you predict the players will travel through here four different ways?
Economy: Tibbets is self-sufficient. It has a recycling water supply, a waste recycling system that extracts
moisture from human waste, and it has several stockpiles of oil, petrol, fusion cells, and electrical batteries
to keep it going for at least fifty more years. It has exploited its massive stockpile in ties with Robot City to
"beef up" in preparation for its escape.
Relationship with Other Communities: Tibbets has no relationship with any other communities in the
wasteland west of its location - most of them don't know it's even there. The only "communities" that know
of its existence are the machine intelligences governing Robot City to the East, which are attempting to find
ULYSSES and correct the "divide" that has occurred within its system - and return it to its imprisoned,
intended place as their slave.
ART REQUIREMENTS
Each area template should include an Art Requirements section. This section should have the following:
       Provides a rough map of the location in a JPG file (see RadScoprion Nest, below). No one cares
        how clean it is, but it should include enough information so an artist/level designer can look at it,
        understand what you mean, and build the level with all the design parameters you have specified.
        The map may be contained in a separate file, but each location in the game should be mapped out,
        just as it was done for Torment and Icewind Dale.
 Tells the artists what tile set will be used (if appropriate).
       Tells the artists any special scenery objects that will be used for the area (i.e., cots, freestanding
        floor safe with an open and close animation, a turkey roasting on a spit, a special flashing neon
        sign, and so on).
        Design Note: Whenever possible, try to include one brand-new visual or scenery object
        in each location to give the players a visual jolt, or just go, "cooooool."
       Any ideas you have for the Town Map picture for the PIPBoy (i.e., do you want it to look like a
        Luray Caverns pamphlet, a travel guide, a picture of the chain link fence of an army compound,
        and so on).
       Any movies or scripted cut scenes in these locations? Cut Scenes are elaborated on further in the
        Scripting section, below.
                                                                                  1: Ladder up to Entrence
                                                                                  Cavez. Put lots of bones and
                                                                                  skeletons around this area.
                                                                                  (The Raiders dump victims
                                                                                  down here occasionally.)
2: Spud’s Lair: Lair of Spud, the biggest, baddest Radscorpion in the land.
LOCATIONS
The Locations section of the document will probably be a series of entries, each one describing each
location within the area. Designers will determine what format and procedure works best for them. Each
location section should probably cover the following information, however:
        A quick series of bookmarks for each location and sub-location described in the document so the
         players can just jump to it.
 The physical aspects of the locations, so artists can get a feel for the area's art requirements.
        The feel and tone of the area for audio. Include any description you think would help them get a
         better handle on the area. Emote if necessary. Do interpretative dance. I don't fucking care, but
         don't omit important details.
This “secret entrance” is a hole in the ground surrounded by a cluster of abandoned shacks with their walls
falling down and huge gaping holes in the roofs. There is no living in these shacks, so don’t worry about
having to place critters anywhere around here. The Raiders also do not guard this backdoor entrance to
their caves (they don’t believe anyone could really find it).
The only item of interest on this map is the black hole that leads down into the Raider Caves.
         Design Note: When designing locations and sub-locations, keep in mind that there may
         be locations the player returns to frequently, such as stores, flophouses to rest, or the local
         doctor. Try to make these as convenient to reach as possible.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
The Cast of Characters section describes the major NPCs found in the location.
        A quick series of bookmarks for each NPC and companion described in the document so the
         players can just jump to it.
        GENERIC NPCS
        Describe their background, personality, their function, any ties to quests in the area, and if they are
        voice-acted or not. If voice-acted, include a brief sentence indicating what you think the character
        would sound like, preferably using a real world actor as an example (it's easier for audio to do
        voice casting if they have a real world actor to use as a basis for comparison – chances are, they
        can't get THAT particular actor, but they can get someone who sounds like him or her).
        COMPANIONS!
        Be sure to include potential companions here, too. Make a note of what they're good at, their stats,
        and so on, along with any things that would prevent them from joining the party (the player's
        Karma is too high or too low, his Reputation isn't high enough, the player needs to complete a
        quest first, and so on).
        Design Note: Might want to combine the cast of characters with the Monster Roster, at
        least in terms of stats. Dave Maldonado had a suggestion for a series of task lists for the
        producers that combine both the cast of characters, companions, and the critters all in one
        list. I keep wondering if there should be separate completion lists maintained outside of
        the templates that track overall progress. Dividing them amongst various location
        documents seems counterproductive – I'd prefer the Icewind Dale: HOW excel sheet,
        though there is the problem of regular upkeep.
SCRIPTING
Scripting covers a number of elements:
        GENERAL
        There are some general scripting issues...
           Are there any wacky scripting things you'll need the programmers to be aware of? (For
            example, can you go to Hoover Dam, aim an artillery cannon at the town of Podunk five miles
            distant, fire a poison gas shell into the town, then go back to Podunk and all the inhabitants
            are dead except for the ghouls? Or, if the town is suffering from a disease, does the population
            die off over time? "Little" things like that.)
           Are there any cut-scenes in the location? If so, include specific details of how the cut scene
            plays out, including characters you may need added or subtracted from a map on the fly,
            camera angles, and so on.
           Do any creatures in town spawn or respawn? If so, is this respawning tied to any other
            parameters, such as difficulty level, the player's level, skill use, reputation level, and so on?
           Are there any changes that occur on the map in terms of spawning, creature difficulty, or
            otherwise, that vary according to the difficulty level of the game, the level of the player and/or
            the party, or the fact it's a single-player or a multiplayer game? Do any boss battles become
            harder? Do any spawned creatures change (behemoth robots instead of rad rats suddenly start
            popping out of the word work)? Let your programmers know. They like knowing this stuff.
        TOWN-SPECIFIC
        There are some important things to consider for towns...
            What happens when the player attacks someone in the area? (This is primarily important for
             towns – most dungeon-crawl locations it won't matter.)
 What happens when the player breaks into one of the houses in the town?
            Are any of the town inhabitants listed in the Monster Roster below organized into teams? Do
             they call for help? Will any of them fight each other if they spot an rival group of townsfolk?
         DUNGEON-SPECIFIC
         There are some important things to consider for dungeon locations...
            Are any of the monsters listed in the Monster Roster below organized into teams? Do they
             call for help? Will any of them fight each other if they spot an enemy critter?
MONSTER ROSTER
The Monster Roster section indicates what monsters are found in the location. If you can, list the numbers
of critters present, their approximate XP award, and if they are intended to respawn in a location or not.
If any monsters change according to difficulty level, make sure you note these variations here as well.
In addition, write a sentence or two about what kind of random encounters would you expect to see near the
town -- and make a note of what ones shouldn't occur near the town. You may need to pass this information
off to a designer who is solely responsible for designing random encounters, and the more he or she knows,
the better.
COOL SHIT
The Cool Shit section is just that -- what's cool about this area? For starters, you should be able to say in
one or two sentences why a player would remember this location. If you were a player, what would make
you want to play this location? What would make you glad you played this location?
        The weapons, armor, or item progression occurs in the area. This includes cool stuff you can buy
         from storekeepers -- if possible, try to include items out of the player's price range or just out of
         reach (dangle the carrot...) so the player is motivated to go accumulate cash to purchase the item
         from the store.
         Item progression should be broken down in a skill basis, and it can be included in the Location
         Checklist, below. Basically, whenever possible, a location should have some item or weapon that
         compliments a skill.
        Can the player get any merit badges in the area? (Merit Badges are essentially worthless Perks or
         items your character can accumulate – they don't affect gameplay, but they're like collecting
         brownie points and act as additional carrots. Things like, "Purple Heart Medal," or "Perk: Refuse
         Extraction Coordinator," or "Perk: Searches Toilets.")
        What skills are especially useful in this area? (Note: keep this simple – the, uh, painfully detailed
         skill analysis occurs in the Location Checklist, below.)
        Can the player either build cool new items or learn how to build cool new items in this location?
         (For example, a Mechanic may discover a laser sight in one town, and be able to attach it to a rifle
         using a craft bench – or he may find plans for a combustion engine he could put into a rusted hulk
         out in the desert, making it able to be driven around.)
        What would keep the player coming back to this area? Is there a locked elevator that requires a
         150% Repair skill to fix and opens into a new location? Is there an ornery old cuss who won't give
         you a quest until you've gained a few levels? Is there a shopkeeper whose stock keeps changing...
         and keeps changing for the better the more good or bad acts you do in other locations in the
         world? Can the player blackmail someone and keep coming back for his monthly payments?
         There should be at least a few carrots like this in each location to keep the players coming back
         and getting more mileage out of the area.
        Is there an interesting gaming technique, quest, or RPG element about the location? As an
         example, Lonelywood in Heart of Winter had a neat series of events that developed over time, and
         as you returned to the town throughout the adventure, events would build on events (the werewolf
         murders, the murderous squad of adventurers coming to attack the owner of the Whistling
         Gallows, Baldemar's hiring of the assassin – and the assassin eventually turning on him). Is there a
         puzzle type that hasn't been seen in the game until this point? A mini-game? (Molerat Mambo in
         Redding in Fallout 2, for example.) Every location needs some spice to turn it up a notch – as
         much as art needs to continually wow the player, the design needs to shake them up, too.
QUESTS
The Quests section should be set up so you can cut and paste the damn thing into a PIPBoy quest log. This
section is broken into several parts: The Main Quests in the area that are designed specifically by a
designer, the Merchant Quests which are more generic "go to X with caravan Y and get Z reward," and the
Floating Quests, which are a series of randomly generated quests for the area.
Note: Make sure to refer to the quest design section in the F3_Style.doc.
         MAIN QUESTS
         Main Quests are quests designed specifically by the designer for the area. Information on these
         quests should include:
                  Importance: Critical quests are ones that the player has to do to advance the game,
                  Major quests are ones that could span an area or two and involve a lot of steps, and
                  Minor quests are ones that could be solved on the same map or by walking to an adjacent
                  map, or may involve only one step to solve.
                  Scope: Small (same map), Medium (a map or two away), and Large (crosses several
                  maps, takes a long time to complete).
                 A quick breakdown on how all four different types of characters could solve the quest. If
                  the quest can only be completed by one type of character (which is fine), indicate it here.
                 Rewards of the quest, including experience points, items gained, reputation, and
                  especially any quest items gained.
                 The journal entries for bad karma, good karma, normal karma, and dumb characters when
                  appropriate. (I don't know if we're going to have all these categories, but plan for them
                  now.) Not all quests need this much variation, but if you think it would work for the
                  quest, then put them in. Again, these journal entries should be able to cut and pasted from
                  this document into a game text file without a hitch.
                 The quest table will be laid out so it can be imported to a QA database so we can quickly
                  set up the standard quest checklist for the game. Here's a sample template (we still need
                  to work with this):
        Area             Quest Name      Designer DStatus Script SStatu           Log      Passable       QA 100%
                                                                   s              Stat
TIBBETS PRISON
  Map 1: Tibbets         Escape Cell     Avellone Done         Phil     Done    N/A       Yes            Yes
                           Block 13
   Map 1: Tibbets        Reprogram       Avellone Done         Phil     Done 75% [3]      Yes           No [1]
                          Guide Bot
   Map 1: Tibbets Bypass Security Avellone Done                Phil     Done Done         Yes            Yes
                           Door 13
   Map 1: Tibbets         Get Key to     Avellone Done         Phil     Done 75% [3]      Yes           No [2]
                           Armory
1: When the Computer Programming skill is used on the Guide Bot after you use the Repair Skill, it does not
respond correctly when you initiate dialogue with it.
2: The Behemoth Robot does not always drop the security pass when it is destroyed by a character using the
modified laser pistol.
3: No low intelligence options have been included in the logs for these quests.
Area: The area of the game and the map in the area where the game takes place.
Designer: The designer responsible for the quest so people know who to contact.
LogStat: What's the status of the log for these quests? Do you get the unsolved version, do you get the
solved version, and do you get a good/bad karma and a stupid one, if appropriate?
         Note that quests should reinforce the "feel" of a location. As an example, Redding in Fallout 2 was
         set up to be a frontier, rough-and-tumble Western mining town, with a "Gold Rush" kind of
         ambiance about it. Quests in the town involved becoming the sheriff (a career move that, in classic
         Western style, no one wants), dealing with drunken brawls in the local saloon, dealing with dirty
         infighting between the two mining companies, trying to help out the local country doctor, cleaning
         out an infested mine, dealing with a band of robbers, and so on – the nature of the quests made
         you feel like you were in a Old West movie.
         Also, if there is a companion in town, make sure you indicate how to get him in your party, and set
         up the conditions as a quest. ("To get Cassidy in your party, you need to find him in his tavern, ask
         him about his recent rash of troubles, then invite him to come with you. You will gain +500 XP,
         +1 Reputation, and Cassidy comes with a shotgun, leather armor, several shells, and a lot of
         whiskey.")
         MERCHANT QUESTS
         For some locations, there will be a merchant caravan that travels to and from the city. Make sure
         you describe what caravan missions are available in the location, and a note of who the caravan
         master(s) are for the location and where they can be found. It's usually best if they are located
         somewhere near the opening map of the location.
         FLOATING QUESTS
         Scott Warner suggested implementing a randomly-generated quest system for TORN, based on the
         Privateer model; basically, a number of random quests appear on a "job post" (or its equivalent)
         somewhere in the world, and the player can pick and choose from a number of simple quests that
         change over time.
         These randomly generated missions make no pretensions about being cut-and-dry FedEx or
         Murder Quests: "Go collect bounty on five ghouls," "retrieve five chunks of gold ore," "deliver
         three sub-machine guns to the caravan master," and so on. Make a quick list of different kinds of
         quick and dirty random missions that would be appropriate for the location – several of the
         missions (but not necessarily all) should be tied to the random encounters that occur near the town.
TASK LIST
The Tasks section is a list of all the work that needs to be done for the area. It is a good summary for the
producer, other designers, artists, and programmers as to what has been done in the area, who to check with
if you have questions about certain tasks, and so on.
This section is only useful if it is used. If we're several months into the project and no one has been using it,
then it will no longer be used or updated. There's no sense in wasting time doing additional bookkeeping if
it's serving no purpose.
SOUND REQUIREMENTS
The Sound Requirements section is intended to cover every conceivable audio question you've had to
answer for an RPG in the past. You know the drill. Some aspects to consider:
         MUSIC
         The music breakdowns depend on the game. In Fallout 3, we will most likely be going with music
         themes tied to areas, which is in keeping with the previous games. Be sure to include your
       preferences for these themes in the document so Adam Levenson has something to work off of...
       even if it's just a starting point for a debate.
       BASIC SFX
       An area's going to need sound to make it come alive. Some basics:
       Item-Specific Sounds: Glance through your area, see if there's any items that might need sounds
       to complement their presence: the humming of generators, crackling of fires, buzzing of neon
       signs, and so on.
       Wildlife Sounds: Wolves howling, birds chirping, crickets, hissing of rattlesnakes. Do not include
       human voices in this category (that's covered in "Walla," below).
       Business Sounds: Any SFX tied to businesses or merchants in the area (sound of a tractor in the
       distance, a trash compactor crushing metal, gunshots from the rifle range, roaring of a plane from
       an airport).
       Living Sounds: Any SFX tied to everyday life in the area (tolling of a church bell, sound of a
       basketball on asphalt, car engine coming to life, chopping of wood).
Distance: The distance you expect the sound effect to be played at.
       Time-Dependent: Is the SFX tied to a time cycle? Does a factory stop crushing metal cans at
       night? Is a neon sign turned off during the day? If so, audio needs to know.
       Any Walla? Is there any walla that needs to be done for the locations? This is much different
       from sound effects, because a voice actor must be employed to do the lines. See "Walla" SFX,
       below.
       "WALLA" SFX
       Walla is a term used to describe any voices you hear in the area. The catcalls of prostitutes, people
       groaning in pain in a dungeon, ghostly whispers in a haunted house are all examples of this. Walla
       SFX questions break down into the same categories as basic SFX:
Distance: The distance you expect the walla sound effect to be played at.
       Time-Dependent: Is the walla tied to a time cycle? Does a street empty out at night? Do the
       merchant stalls close up shop and the merchants go home? Does a bar become more lively when
       twilight falls?
       How many people and what's the gender and racial mix? Be sure to include roughly how many
       people are in the location, their races, and their genders. For example, a rough and tumble bar
       might have "12 patrons: 5 human male bandits, 3 human female bandits, 2 super mutant males, 1
       ghoul female, and a whirring servant robot that occasionally asks if a customer wants drinks.")
       What's the mood of the place where the walla is occurring? And how should the voices
       sound? In the example above, you might describe it as "a rough and tumble bar in a bad section of
       town where disreputable raiders gather to smoke, drink, and occasionally get into a fight or two;
        all conversations should either be loud, raucous, drunken stories about successful raids, attacks on
        caravans, or other crimes, or else be mumbled planned conversations with a group planning their
        next raid. A few insults may be being thrown around at other patrons or directed toward the robot
        servant. The area should feel alive and threatening (like a WWF match), but not sinister."
        Does the walla sound have any other SFX? In the example above, the servant robot's speech
        may need to have a slight whirring or clicking sound associated with it as the robot speaks and
        rolls around the bar.
        Does this walla sound need any DIRECT SFX attached to it? If the walla sound effect is
        "people screaming as they're being whipped," then not only do you need a whip SFX, but you
        need to make sure that the whip SFX plays before the screaming or at least complements the
        screaming.
2. Miss Kitty’s Scratching Post: This building has tons of graffiti covering its surface and ten cap whores
line the sidewalks outside, calling out to the character.
3. Miss Kitty’s Parlor: This is where clients can check in with the madam and arrange to get their snake
drained.
4. “Bedrooms”: This is where Miss Kitty’s prostitutes take care of the customers.
5. Shitty Building: A number of junkies fill this building. It is run down and crappy, more so than any
building on the street (no one lives here). Junkies lie on the floor or stagger around the edge of the building,
high on Jet.
6: Shitty Building, 2: Some random building. Feel free to play around with it or cut it out to save space on
the map.
7: Mordino Casino: The entrance to the Mordino Casino. Clicking on one of the doors takes the player to
the Mordino Casino, First Floor Map (below).
LOCATION CHECKLIST
Each area document will also have a Location Checklist.
In Fallout 3, we need to make sure that each character type has an equally enjoyable role-playing
experience in each location (evil characters and stupid characters are usually given the short end of the
stick; the rewards for these types of characters are usually unbalanced when compared to the goody-two-
shoes characters). No more!
In addition, there were a few skills and statistics in Fallout 1 and 2 that didn't see enough use by the
designers. As an example, Charisma wasn’t nearly as useful as most of the other statistics in Fallout 1, and
the Doctor Skill was as useless as a third thumb in both Fallout 1 and Fallout 2. If we take care to see that
each stat and skill can be used effectively design-wise in each location in the game, then I think these stats
can gain back some of the ground they've lost over the past few games. That's what the location checklist is
for.
The location checklist is a glorified grocery list, covering a number of the role-playing possibilities for each
“kind” of character the player may have chosen (Stealth Boy, Science Boy, Combat Boy, Charisma Boy).
This checklist is intended to insure each kind of character has something cool to do in each location, and
that the rewards and role-playing experiences for each location are balanced whether the player is good or
evil, stupid or smart, a combat monster or a science guy.
Designers don’t have to make sure that each entry is checked off for each location – as long as they make
up for it in another of their locations in the game. The exception to this rule is for early areas of the game,
since those are the first areas the players will encounter, and I want their character to have a rich role-
playing experience all-around right from the start. (If the player went through three early areas, and his
Doctor skill isn't used once, then he's going to be sorry he took it.)
COMBAT BOY
Big Guns
Bows
Energy Weapons
Melee
Small Guns
Throwing
Unarmed
CHARISMA BOY
Barter
Speech
SCIENCE BOY
Biology
Chemistry
Computer Programming
Doctor
Electronics
First Aid
Mechanics
Physics
STEALTH BOY
Lockpick
Sneak
Steal
Traps
GENERIC SKILLS
Outdoorsman
Gambling
Easter Egg, Easy 1
Easter Egg, Easy 2
Easter Egg, Easy 3
Easter Egg, Medium 1
Easter Egg, Medium 2
Easter Egg, Hard 1
ENVIRONMENT
Economics
Tie to Another Area 1
Tie to Another Area 2
Tie to Another Area 3
MULTIPLAYER GAMING
Multiplayer Elements?
POST-GAME
ADVENTURING
Ending 1
Ending 2
Ending 3
I’d like these categories to be balanced out among random encounters as well, when possible (obviously,
not all categories will apply).
Post-Game Adventuring: The Fallout game will continue after you “finish” the game, and the player can
keep adventuring if he wants. I want the locations to react to the player having won the game, either with
small scraps of dialogue, minor art changes (banners hanging from windows congratulating the “hero”),
and so on – anything to give the player a pat on the back.
Ending: A brief, one-sentence explanation of the possible endings for this location. These are described in
more detail in End Movies, below.
Economics: This is just an entry to make sure that you have given some information in the location that
gives clues on how it manages to stay afloat financially in the wasteland; you don’t have to beat the player
over the head with it, but just make sure it’s communicated in some fashion in the location.
Tie to Another Area 1: I’d like to see the areas tied together more – either with inter-dependent quests, or
family members spread out across locations, or something that gives the player the feeling that each
location in the game is not an isolated location all into itself.
Anyway, that’s the bare bones checklist, and it’s subject to revisions. Here’s an example of how the list
could be filled out:
                    The player can make a bid to become mayor of       All the perks the position
                    the town, or sheriff.                              gives you... or you can
                                                                       blackmail the mayor or current
                                                                       sheriff into withdrawing your
                                                                       candidacy in exchange for
                                                                       some extra cash or weapons.
Stupid Character    (Male) Provide new generic material for town.      Free food and board at the inn
                                                                       to keep tricking the player into
                                                                       coming back to the town to re-
                                                                       seed the populace.
                    Can speak to one of the dumb ore haulers and       Gain Perk: Visual Standard to
                    figure out the rudiments of machine language;      allow him to communicate
                    can take the black box out of the hauler and       with Class-A hauler machines,
                    bring it along with him to put into a robot and    gain potential “black box
                    make a new ally.                                   companion.”
Ghoul               Ghouls are hated in Podunk because of the          If a ghoul kills five of his
                    tribes of ghoul cannibals on the wastes that       cannibalistic brothers, then the
                    hunt the merchant caravans to and from the         prejudice level will go down.
                    city.                                              There may also be a section of
                                                                       the mine filled with uranium
                                                                       that only a ghoul can get close
                                                                       to.
Super Mutant        Super Mutants are not liked or trusted in          One of the older miners comes
                    Podunk.                                            from Broken Hills, and he will
                                                                       be somewhat friendly with a
                                                                       super mutant, offering to
                                                                       modify a suit of leather armor
                                                                       and make it super mutant size
                                                                       if a super mutant brings him
                                                                       three normal (human-sized)
                                                                       leather armors.
Human               Humans experience no prejudice in Podunk.          Nothing out of the ordinary.
Male                Males (human) are more likely to be offered        Mine Quests, convenience.
                    jobs in the mine than female characters.           Sperm donations will carry an
                    Furthermore, they may be asked to serve as         experience award.
                    sperm donors if the player reveals the dangers
                    of inbreeding to the Podunk residents.
Female              Females (human) will find it more difficult to     Mine Quests become an
                    get mine-based quests due to gender prejudice.     inconvenience, but get more
                    They will also get some standard sexist            rumors and information (and
                    comments from some of the men, but on the          more easily) than male
                    other hand, many women in town will befriend       characters.
                    them and share rumors with them.
Strength            Can lift rocks from collapsed entrance to rescue   +300 XP, Reward from child’s
                    trapped child.                                     mother.
                    The Miner’s Locker Room (and the abandoned            Various rewards, totaling
                    one in the depths of the mines) has 30-60             about 600 caps plus
                    locked footlockers that can be pried open if the      miscellaneous equipment, at a
                    player has over 8 STR.                                loss of about 15 to 30 Karma
                                                                          (for the Miner’s Locker
                                                                          Room), but no Karma Loss for
                                                                          the abandoned miner’s locker
                                                                          room in the depths of the
                                                                          mine.
Perception          Notice that the Mayor is nervous in dialogue;         Be able to act on this
                    when exposed, the Mayor will confess he is            information and work out
                    afraid the Salt Lake Mining Consortium sent           some sort of agreement
                    the player.                                           between Podunk and Salt Lake
                                                                          City.
Endurance           Helps resist the poison gas flooding the bottom
                    of the mine, allows him to stay down there
                    longer without taking damage.
Charisma            Charisma gives the player greater rewards             Bonus to cash rewards in
                    whenever he accepts a cash payment for any of         town.
                    his services in town.
                    If player has Charisma over 6, he can convince        Gain new ally: Jack Hammer.
                    Jack, the miner with the prosthetic arm, to join
                    his party.
Intelligence        If the player’s Intelligence is greater than 6, the   Leads to “third and best
                    player can realize that he doesn’t have to            possible solution” for Salt
                    sabotage or betray Podunk to Salt Lake City or        Lake City and Podunk puzzle.
                    vice versa – he might be able to work out some
                    other arrangement.
Agility             There are no special checks for this statistic in     (Note that the Grand Canyon
                    this location.                                        Location has 6 Agility checks,
                                                                          so the fact there are none here
                                                                          balances out.)
Luck                An old safe in the depths of the mine has a lock      +356 Caps, A miner’s helmet
                    that no one has the combination to. A lucky
                    player character can try to break the code
                    randomly.
                    An old terminal in the depths of the mine has         Gain new schematics for
                    an access code that no one knows. A lucky             robotic ore haulers.
                    player character can try to break the code
                    randomly.
COMBAT BOY
Big Guns            Player can train the three guardsmen at the gate      Guardsmen show the player a
                    how to man the old flamethrower installed over        bunch of weapons they’d
                    the front of the gate.                                stashed away that they didn’t
                                                                          know how to use – they give
                                                                          the player an old bazooka and
                                                                          three shells.
Bows                Player can impress locals with archery skill.         Earn trust of children, who tell
                                                                          him about secret entrance to
                                                                          mine shafts.
                    Player can hit a switch across one of the mine        Access to small new area of
                    shafts with an arrow, re-activating an elevator       mine.
                    that leads to another section of the mine.
                    Player can speak to one of the demolition-         Miner teaches the player how
                    crazed miners about his preference for using       to make dynamite arrows.
                    bows as weapons.
Energy Weapons      Player can show the locals how to use the          Player is given a power energy
                    Power Burner to burrow out new mineshafts.         cell.
Small Guns          Nothing in this location. There is, however, a     The geckos in the mines have
                    good amount of small guns ammo and shotgun         been weakened by the poison
                    shells in this location, which allows characters   gas and are not only
                    to fall back on their small guns for a while       vulnerable to standard gun
                    without having to waste the ammo for their big     wounds, but they also don’t
                    guns.                                              like the loud noises firearms,
                                                                       rifles, and shotguns make (it
                                                                       scatters them and makes them
                                                                       easier to kill).
Throwing            Player can impress locals with throwing skill.     Earn trust of children, who tell
                    Or play catch with some of the local kids. Or      him about secret entrance to
                    teach one of the local kids to play catch.         mine shafts. They may also
                                                                       show him a new "ball" they
                                                                       found in the desert (a special
                                                                       EMP grenade).
                    Player can hit a switch across one of the mine     Access to small new area of
                    shafts (with a knife or rock), re-activating an    mine.
                    elevator that leads to another section of the
                    mine.
Melee               These weapons are useful when you don’t want       Convenience Reward
                    to trigger a gas explosion in the depths of the
                    mine. Furthermore, there are a great many
                    hammers and super sledges available in
                    Podunk, which gives a bonus to characters with
                    a skill in these weapons.
Unarmed             These weapons are useful when you don’t want       Convenience Reward
                    to trigger a gas explosion in the depths of the
                    mine.
CHARISMA BOY
Barter              There are plenty of shops in town for the Barter   General Store’s Prices.
                    skill to become useful.
Speech              The player can convince the mayor to enter into    +1000 XP, Podunk Town Rep
                    a trade alliance with Salt Lake City, benefiting   +2, Salt Lake City Town Rep
                    both locations.                                    +1
                    The player can convince three disgruntled          +300 XP, Human Production:
                    miners to return to work, even after the           +1, Podunk Town Rep +1
                    difficulties encountered in the mines.
                    The player can convince three disgruntled          +300 XP, Podunk Town Rep
                    miners to work for him, and use them to take       +1
                    over the town.
SCIENCE BOY
Biology             The player can take the corpse of one of the       (Note that the Nursery has 5
                    poisoned Geckoes in the mines and discover its     Biology checks, so the fact
                    weaknesses to conventional firearms.               there is only one minor one
                                                                       here balances out)
Chemistry           Create a more efficient blasting compound for      +500 XP, Access to their
                    the inhabitants using their old holodisk records   chemistry lab, ability to create
                    and their chemistry lab.                           bombs at chemistry bunch.
                    Can mix new chemicals for the flamethrower at      +300 XP, Access to their
                    the front gate... and new canisters for the PC's   chemistry lab, ability to create
                    own use.                                           flamethrower ammo.
                    Learn how to capture the poison gas in the         +1000 XP, Access to their
                    mines, analyze it, then make a counter-agent       chemistry lab, ability to create
                    (see Doctor below).                                poison gas bombs, gain 970
                                                                       caps from town as reward.
Computer            Re-program the robotic ore haulers to start        +1000 XP, Shops in Town
Programming         mining the poisoned sections of the mine.          start gaining more items as
                                                                       trade increases, Robotic
                                                                       Production Level +1, Human
                                                                       and Robotic Production Level:
                                                                       3+ results in best end movie.
                    Hack into the terminal in the bottom of the        Gain new schematics for
                    mine that no one knows the access code to.         robotic ore haulers.
Doctor              Lecture the inhabitants on the dangers of in       +1000 XP
                    breeding and start counseling them on how to
                    avoid degenerative mutations.
                    Discover what is causing the sickness plaguing     +300 XP
                    the miners.
                    Treat poison gas victims recovered from the        +300 XP per victim
                    mine. (Not cure them, but prevent their            successfully treated, Human
                    symptoms from getting worse.)                      Production Level +1
                    Treat old miner with lame leg and put him on a     +300 XP, Opens up Secret
                    program to help him walk fully again.              Location in Rockies where he
                                                                       stored 350 Caps and an old
                                                                       holodisk showing the locations
                                                                       of two other mines in the area.
                    (Tied to Chemistry) Once poison gas is             +600 XP, one of the recovered
                    analyzed, develop a counter-agent to cure          miners gives the player a
                    poisoned miners.                                   broken suit of EVA armor,
                                                                       Human Production Level +2
Electronics         Re-wire the robotic ore haulers so that three of   +300 XP, Shops in Town start
                    them can function from one brain-box, tripling     gaining more items as trade
                    the mine’s output.                                 increases, Robotic Production
                                                                       Level +1, Robotic and Human
                                                                       Production Level: 3+ results in
                                                                       best end movie.
                    Fix the remote cameras and metallurgical           +300 XP, Shops in Town start
                    scanners in the mine so the miners can pick and    gaining more items as trade
                    choose which veins are worth mining.               increases, Human Production
                                                                       Level +1, Production Level:
                                                                       3+ results in best end movie.
First Aid           Perform minor healing feats on wounded             +50 XP per victim
                    miners. This is not as effective as using the      successfully treated, Human
                    Doctor skill, however.                             Production Level +1
Mechanics           Repair the treads on an ore-hauler to make it      Robotic Production Level +1,
                    run again.                                         Robotic and Human
                                                                       Production Level: 3+ results in
                                                                       best end movie.
                     Repair the ore crusher in town and the smelter      Robotic Production Level +1,
                     so the metals can be extracted easier.              Robotic and Human
                                                                         Production Level: 3+ results in
                                                                         best end movie.
                     Teach the inhabitants to repair the ore haulers     Robotic and Human
                     and the ore crushers themselves.                    Production Level +1, Robotic
                                                                         and Human Production Level:
                                                                         3+ results in best end movie.
                     Study the ore loaders, gain an insight into robot   +5% Damage vs. Heavy
                     weaknesses that can be used against them in         Robots.
                     combat.
Physics              Learn how to shield the ore hauler’s more           +300 XP, Robotic Production
                     sensitive circuitry from radioactive emissions      Level +1, Production Level:
                     from the minerals in the mine.                      3+ results in best end movie.
                                                                         Can also be used on robotic
                                                                         companions, giving them
                                                                         +15% Radiation and EMP
                                                                         Resistance.
STEALTH BOY
Lockpick             The Miner’s Locker Room has 30 locked               Various rewards, totaling
                     footlockers that can be picked.                     about 600 caps plus
                                                                         miscellaneous equipment, at a
                                                                         loss of about 15 to 30 Karma
                     An abandoned Locker Room in the depths of           Various rewards, totaling
                     the mine has 15-20 damaged lockers.                 about 600 caps plus
                                                                         miscellaneous equipment, with
                                                                         no loss of Karma
Sneak                The player must Sneak in order to enter the         See Lockpick above.
                     Miner’s Locker Room without being detected
                     (see Lockpick, above).
Steal                All of the miners and inhabitants in town have      Various rewards, totaling
                     something that can be pick pocketed from            about 150 caps plus
                     them.                                               miscellaneous equipment, at a
                                                                         loss of about 15 to 30 Karma
                     The player can plant a fake note on the mayor,      Mayor is hanged, loss of 30
                     “proving” that he is secretly collaborating with    Karma, player is now free to
                     the Salt Lake City mining companies in              take over town.
                     exchange for bribes.
Traps                There are numerous deadfalls and mining             Convenience Reward, plus the
                     bombs in the mines that need to be avoided and      fact the player can disarm the
                     disarmed.                                           mines and gain explosives he
                                                                         can carry around with him.
GENERIC SKILLS
Outdoorsman          The player can scout out a new trail for the ore    Reward from local caravan
                     haulers across the mountains, shaving a day or      runners.
                     two off the caravan route.
Gambling             The player can play a low-stakes poker game         55 caps per night per 5 hours.
                     with some of the locals. As long as he doesn’t
                     win more than 55 caps, he can return to the
                     table every night and keep fleecing the players.
Easter Egg, Easy 1   Beneath a floorboard in one of the houses is a      10mm Pistol with 3 clips.
                     small cache.
Easter Egg, Easy 2   Make a makeshift crank for well, then turn          Pull up bucket with a dead rat
END MOVIES
Each area document will also have a list of possible End Movies depending on what the character did in
the location. This section should contain:
       The condition for each end movie. Someone has to script this, so make sure it includes all
        necessary flags or other conditions that need to be checked.
 The narration text for the end movie. Write it as if Ron Perlman would read it.
 Some suggested art for the end movie slideshow. Keep it as a simple 2D image.
The inhabitants of New Reno were slaughtered to the last person,           Show New Reno in ruins, wild
and the city itself collapsed into ruin. No lights shine there now, the    dogs chewing at a corpse on the
streets home only to packs of wild dogs and vultures.                      street.
APPENDIX
Include a summary of changes you've done in a document at the end, and dump it into the Source Safe
comments, if you can. Chances are, you'll have to email this information to certain people on the team, so
it's worthwhile to record here.
06-28-01 - Added comments from Steve Bokkes (QA Quest List), Dave Maldonado (Appendix and Item
and Character Summaries), and Feargus (Quest Importance and Scope). Added spawning and difficulty
level information to the Scripting section as well as an "estimated play time" entry into the Area Summary
section.
07-09-01 – Added comments from Dave Maldonado and added "character's sex" (male/female) to the
location checklist.