http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/105885-fallout-new-vegas-and-dlc-post-mortem-interview-part-two.html

By Chris Avellone

So in terms of Fallout lore I have come to the understanding that Obsidian because of Avellone has decided that the cannon ending of Lonesome Road was the complete nuclear destruction of the NCR and Legion to reset the West Coast lore.

On the one hand I can not say I disagree with the idea. The NCR is basically on the edge of a new industrial revolution with Vegas or without, the Mojave if NCR/House/Good Independent ending only speeds up that process. The Legion lands according to J. E. Sawyers formspring are so good that...

Did you catch the bit about "power" flowing consistently? We are talking about a standard of living that billions of humans today do not enjoy even in Legion territory.

When you add in the post scarcity technology from the Sierra Marde I would LOVE to see the West Coast Fallout factions nuked. It gives the series a chance to give us a Fallout 3 experience that actually makes sense and halt the continued progress we have seen in, especially from the NCR with its manufacturing, working power armor, vertibirds, railroads and of course electricity production. Shady Sands was already pretty nice in Fallout 2, with other places like Vault City and maybe San Francisco under NCR control things have gotten a bit to comfortable.

Actually, Bethesda sets the canon, they could do that ending for lonesome road, but they'll do the smart thing and work it in favour of Mr. House.

At this point I would not mind House winning IF we had a House victory with both the NCR and Legion nuked to ashes. That would be interesting to see because to me we would get a situation as follows.

Now House and his hyperbole of "returning to the stars" will never come to be, but a Second Apocalypse means that his vision for a restored Vegas looks pretty good. Now we have a Vegas will unlimited water, power, and a near invincible robot army lead by a nearly immortal genius. That would be an interesting Clark County. While Fallout 4 would be set say in the radioactive ruins of Shady Sands, you ever so often hear reports of a city untouched by BOTH wars.

I'd say Chris Avellone is being stupid. Fallout's supposed to be about humanity making a come back at this point. If they make this canon, I'd probably wash my hands of future titles if the nuking is canon. It's about humanity surviving in the world, not some mindless post-apoc game like Rage.

At what point does it stop though Colonel? Are we supposed to keep playing Fallout until it gets the tech/standard of living level of today and we're basically playing Grand Theft Auto? Either the series needs to

A. Reset it's lore (I'm for this the most)

B. Nuke the West Coast because it's near industrialization

All other paths eventually lead to things becoming to civilized.

I hope that the nuclear attack on the NCR and Legion is not canon. It would be a cheesy cop-out to just keep hitting the reset button to keep that "bombs just fell" feel.

I'd rather see something like an NCR or Legion civil war. Maybe some underrepresented NCR states and territories decided to secede after a failed campaign in the Mojave, or a power struggle when surviving Legionnaires return back east. I'd probably lean towards a Legion story, toss in some neighboring tribes and another large faction aggressor. Maybe the player character can pick which Legion group comes out on top or side with the other faction altogether. There's loads of options.

A House victory with no bombs falling sets the best stage for future stories in the Southwest/South/Plains imo.

I do have to wonder how long they can play the Post-War card in these games though. We are already what, 200 years past the war? To be honest there is way to much stuff from pre-war laying around to be realistic. After 200 years there would be nothing left of food, highways, signs, buildings, etc.

But anyway, how long before man enters the industrial age again and starts making their own things? I do like the Mad Max setting, but realistically that period would be somewhere between 10 to 50 years past the war, after that there would be little left or useful from the old world. I know we wouldn't be using 200 year old automatic weapons...

A new bombing would give another re-start I suppose, but again at that point there should already be nothing left of the post war world. I think Bethesda should have kept all these games within a 10 to 50 year window of time from The War and just had them located in different areas to give new gameplay and stories.

Or they could end the series with a proper send off, not keep the series running through some 7th grade level of 'philosophic' claim that the bombing is some [censored] metaphor for war and humanity err. That's just dumb.

Or they will not do an ending so no one feels invalidated by their choice...

They will. There has been a canon ending in most of the classic Fallouts now, I don't see why they would follow any different example.

Really? So what was the cannon ending of FO:NV? I figured it was NCR since there are more quests for them than any other faction.

I meant that New Vegas will have a canon ending.

I would prefer Mr. House, but I'm open to any ending. I've heard rumors that it's Indy, but I don't think they made a decision.

I hope that FO4 is somewhere new, like Florida or something. Florida lacks mountains, but has beach, plains, swamps, etc. Imagine what a giant radiated python would be like.

Unless It's been debunked, it's most likely going to be Boston.

I want Houston or New York.

But, anyways, I have serious doubts that NCR will be canon. From what I hear, it's been elaborated by the devs that the NCR ending is composed of the Mojave being occupied and drained of resources. Doesn't sound like a dramatic, beneficial, or even interesting ending. Legion would definitely be interesting, and House would be pushing toward a more refined version of the post-post apocalyptic theme that has defined the originals.

EDIT: Not to mention, I think it would be unwise to let the NCR grow into a master-faction that has almost everything in its grasp. It's already large enough as it is.

The only real canon endings are the followers and NCR being around.

And the master being defeated, and the enclave being defeated, and Bishop's wife having a child with the chosen one, and so on, so forth.

Only for meshing purposes. Means nothing. it is not canon, just a set in stone default.

Whatever you say. I won't question your dogmatic logic. I've made that mistake too many times before. I can say that I believe that those endings truly mean something; NCR and followers being *there* is not canon, it's a tie to the old games by acknowledging their existence and position IMHO. It's been a while since I've played the originals, but from what I remember, there was no option to wipe out the NCR.

Back on topic, though: It would be an absolute mistake to make the double-nuke canon IMHO. It would be somewhat eradicating a century of lore and story.

like the idea of Double nuke being "canon" despite the fact that it would only be the default with no other alternative, which is what "canon" is.

I think that no nuke leaves the canon more open ended. Double nuke almost forces the lore into a bad situation. Bad situation meaning, it doesn't exist anymore.

what better way to continue the series?

Bethesda's Fallout 3 has nothing to do with the originals, really, so I don't think it's their business to wipe the original lore off the face of the Fallout universe. Especially because there is perhaps a possibility of being an Obsidian-designed Fallout in that setting again.

Part of the reason why Lonesome road felt so epic is because I was rushing to stop the 2nd apocalypse. That would svck if they nullified that. Not to mention... I (and I assume many) people had such refined couriers. Head of a faction, bossman of the Big MT, a model human really. Why would he just go herp derp and wipe out millions of people and what's been rebuilt of civilization? It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Personally I'd like to see a No-Nukes, House cannon ending.

I get what you mean, but head of *what* faction? Can't really become the head of Mr. House, NCR, Legion. Perhaps New Vegas with Indy, but that's about it.