The first question Gonzalez had was where to start. He started by playing through the first two Fallout games and diving back into Fallout 3 with a game guide to familiarize himself with all the side quests. Then it was time to research filmic inspirations from both the postapocalyptic and Las Vegas parts, from Six-String Samurai to Casino.

There was a list of required reading as well, including books like Cormac McCarthy's The Road. However, Gonzalez said it was the nonfiction books he read that provided the best inspiration. Books like The Green Felt Jungle and the Time/Life series on the Old West provided Gonzalez with ideas about the enduring traits that needed to be reflected in New Vegas. Just as the original Fallout games played with a futuristic retro world of 1950s America, so too does New Vegas play with the Las Vegas of the same era. Gonzalez said that he spent roughly four months heavily researching but that it was an ongoing effort throughout production.

That was way too short. Sort of ended unexpectedly.