Some of the things he's said shed some light on the direction they were trying to go with Lonesome Road (perhaps for the next Fallout, if they get to develop it) and Ulysses. There's a lot of other interesting details in there as well. Take a look, and realize there's a page two for both articles (kinda small at the bottom):

http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/105836-fallout-new-vegas-and-dlc-post-mortem-interview-part-one.html
http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/105885-fallout-new-vegas-and-dlc-post-mortem-interview-part-two.html

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THANKS SO MUCH! I haven't had enough time to stalk the Avellone, what with trying to survive Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Microbiology at the same time :sadvaultboy: I hate school, but love Fallout!

Thanks for posting this, it was an interesting read.

A. I do like how Josh Sawyer reworked Joshua Graham as this fallen angel with conflictive personalities (One side a devout Mormon, the other struggling with his inner brutality and depraved ruthlessness), had he been a cliche 'HURR DURR I EVOL LOLOLOLOLOL!111!!1' character like others wanted him to remain as from Van Buren, the DLC wouldnt have appealed much because an evil cliche is such a simple minded thing, the Joshua Graham is a more complexly hooked character with a more human and relatable personality.

B. I still disagree with Chris Avellones 'Nuke the world' attitude.

B. I agree with you in disagreeing with Chris Avellone there. I hate the NCR, but I don't necessarily feel that it needs to be destroyed or that the world needs to be burned again.

I agree, nuking the NCR into oblivion would be lazy writing, in my honest opinion. If Chris Avellone wants to introduce new ideas he can do this without annihilating the NCR by crippling them for a time, an economic depression or a civil war could bring the NCR to its knees for years if not decades and introduce plenty of possibilities for new ideals both within the NCR and outside of it without resorting to such an extreme and unnecessary twist.

Nuking the NCR just to bring things back to some sort of silly status quo would be even worse, the Fallout world needs to grow not regress.

Exactly. Just because the place isn't as radioactive as before, doesn't mean it's not la-la safeland. The world is changing, but it will never be the same as it was before, and possibly becoming even deadlier. Communities and nations have grown, along with new enemies and monsters from the depths. the land tis not what it used to be my friends.

Agreed that's really bad writting, the institutional flaws we see in NV needs to simply be taken to their logical conclusion but no he just nukes it. The [censored].

to me, House's ending should've been the canon ending, where neither side wins :/ and he rules the area throughout the time, with a mysterious, yet good-hearted benefactor stands beside him, a man/woman who walked the many miles of the Mohave, and the West, and changed the history of the world, the Courier himself/herself.

that or Independence Vegas without the nukes I guess, but all-in-all, out of the "which ending should be canon", it should be Mr.house's.

It's probably because of all the people who can't get over the fact that the series is called "Fallout" so they complain if there's not enough radiation or bombs. It probably comes from the crowd who praises FO3's scenery while dissing on FO:NV's civilized scenery, despite the fact that it's completely unrealistic, with radiation from the bombs lasting over 200 years there and barely ANYBODY attempting to move forward with society.

I trust Avellone to be able to pull it off without it being absolutely pathetic and uncreative, but I agree that it seems more like that decision is catering to staying true to the original Fallout setting rather than simply writing it out however he feels is best or most appropriate. Just write it in whichever direction you think would be most interesting, imo; sacrificing some story for the classical gameplay setting seems counter-productive as a writer.

But as I said, Fallout New Vegas was damn well written, so I take comfort in knowing that if they DO end up nuking the NCR, there's a team of amazing writers ready and waiting to answer the "what happens now" question.
It's also not sure that his vision WILL happen. Bethesda controls the canon, and if they decided to take over on the west coast, something tells me the ending would be more like "NCR wins becuz AMERICUH!!111" We'll just have to wait and see.

Yes, I agree the writers are good. I hope this catastrophic event will be of unusual nature, that it opens a rip into the supernatural world of god. Then we can finally have angels, demons, and exorcisms in Fallout 4.

...sarcasm detected?

I preety much agree with everything you said mr longknife.Especially the ending that bethesda would want seeing as how black and white, and patriotic fallout 3 was.

No. Obsidian skipped out on racism and cut religion into some cult. I thought Fallout was supposed to be a realistic depiction of life after a disaster deserved by everyone on the planet.
Instead, we get this humanity-is-good business. So forgive me for wishing for survival of christian religion and belief in demons, because I didn't get the race wars and child slaving I wanted in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

Leaving personal opinions and beliefs outside the door for a moment, but objectively religion is not 100% proof, religion is what you wish it to be. If you wish to believe Islam is true, it is as true as you believe it to be. If you believe Mormonism is true, it is a true as you believe it to be and et cetera. Even if you get your kicks out of Athiesm, at the end of the day, it's a structured belief in SOMETHING, albiet nothing. The thing is, Fallout doesnt pick favorites in terms of what personal belief is right or wrong, look at the New Canaanites, they were a society built around what they believed to be the Truth. While other towns in the Fallout universe CERTIANTLY aren't religious, they still believe in some form of truth to what is the 'way to exist in this life'. Some people believe in slavery, others in gambling, and the list goes on and on. The anti-religious people are just as bad as the overly religious people and they dont realize it, but at the end of the day it doesnt matter what personal opinion some 17 year old who's thinking he's edgy by criticizing faith on an internet forum thinks, nor what a devout religious follower feels, at the end of the day, Fallout isn't about the faith or lack thereof of God. Fallout is about what people have chosen to build their societies around to survive in the Post-War America.

So why should demons be added in Fallout when:

A. Demons are of religious basis and would be very silly in a game that isnt about faith or mythology.

and

B. Many religious people cite Deathclaws to be demons in the Fallout Universe. (I seem to recall somewhere some believing them to be the souls of the people who died in the War)

It's everything but that.
1) Apathetic people. They still live in pre-war ruins two centuries after war.
2) US government completely abandons its people
3) First actual government in post-apocalyptia rises after a century. Before that, total anarchy.
4) Not a single attempt to mimic the pre-war world. The NCR comes closest to this though, by New Vegas.
5) War never changes. After crisis internal strife is the last thing people normally do. They hold hands and build a new tomorrow.
6) Not a sign of industrialization. Pre-war factories stand idle and no one utilizes them. The only exception seems to be weapons industry.

And that's just the social things.
Fallout is ANYTHING but a realistic portrayal of post-nuclear survival. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, that I don't like how things are. I love Fallout to the core but calling it realistic is overestimation.

In some respects, why build a crapshack when theres an abandoned mansion that functions?


Aside from the Enclave, which was a private group of big wigs claiming the government throne, the government more or less collapsed due to the bombs and collapse of the USAF


Actually, Shady Sands started out 50 or so years after the war, when they left Vault 15, then sometime between Fallout and Fallout 2, it merged with several big and small towns to form NCR, so it's more like 70 or so years for a government to start up.


Mr. House is doing it better. :meh:


We don't KNOW that. We've never had something on the scale of Fallout, I mean geez, look at Mr. House's account of the war. 77 atomic warheads aimed for Vegas alone, just imagine how many hit the USA in total. :bonk:


Industrialization is like streetlights and leisure buildings, it's a sign of proper civilization. We can assume NCR has some sort of industrialization since ranger patrol armor and trooper armor is custom produced in NCR. Plus there's The Pitt that melts down old things and recycles the steel.


Again, we can't say we KNOW that. I mean, like I said, the closest we've had is Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and even then it was only single cities destroyed, not the entire structure of Japan. We can SAY that when America is destroyed that the survivors will hold hands and play with puppies and rainbows and kittens, but quite frankly, when the structure of organized society falls apart and the police can't stem the tide, nor the military, it'll be a society of a handful of good people, the rest will just be people trying to survive, then there will be the bandits, raiders, and looters. Without any structured system of order many people would go feral at the idea of being let go of their proverbial leash. Want proof? All it took back in 1993 was a few people to get pissy about the Rodney King trial and others joined in to cause rioting and looting in anger. Now imagine what would happen when the very top of the food chain, the Federal Government, is collapsed and bombed away. You cut off the head of the snake, and it'll die from neck on down. It's a grim but far more realistic attitude.

After a few years go by, THEN maybe the attempt to civilize the country would begin again.

Um, by that statement, are you saying that F:NV is unrealistic because everyone wasn't all lovey-dovey and cooperative after the nuclear holocaust, and didn't forsake human greed, jealousy, hatred and antagonism in order to turn into some kind of perfect, hand-holding utopia to rebuild a bright and egalitarian future for all?

LOL! I'd be rather amazed if that ever did happen, in the event of such a horrific tragedy occurring in real life. Human nature being what it is, if you take any number of people, survivors, scattered in smallish groups throughout a huge world, you will probably end up with some small groups who do indeed behave that way- and others who don't. Others will have leaders who are charismatic egomaniacs who take control in the new reality where there are no controls, nothing holding them back... the tyranny of the strong and ruthless- and they and their groups will prey on the weak, conquer and pillage weaker (lovey-dovey) neighbors, raid whatever they can, and kill and enslave in order to become more powerful. There are always those who prefer to take what others have, rather than produce things themselves. It has been so since the dawn of time. Post-apocalyptia would be no different. The groups who wished peace and cooperation and rebuilding for the betterment of all, would have to learn to fight and kill to defend themselves, and what they built. Humanity... humanity never changes...

Certainly, but I really don't think that people would carry out looting and raiding their whole lives, teach their children to loot and raid, not to aspire for good living conditions and instead become illiterate tribals worshiping nonsense gods in a hut. The societal structure definitely collapses and I'm not saying that people will restore the pre-war world in an instant, but it has been two damn centuries with minimal progress. TWO HUNDRED YEARS. It's a long time. I most certainly do not think that people would be satisfied with sitting on their thumbs and just plotting to sack the next caravan. Fallout 1 took place 80 years after the war, but it looked like it had been yesterday, same for Fallout 3 expect it's 200 years. Vegas was a ruin for that 200 years while obviously holding factories, intact buildings and a river nearby.

The bombs drop, people just forget about everything, fall to savagery and form tribes? I don't see that happening.
Of course we don't know it, but it's just plain human brain activity.

As for the US government, there was continuity of government plans, especially during http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCme_K6MYLY#t=1h17m07s.


No, I did not say that, did I?

Humans are bastards but I can not see people just falling into total anarchy for decades to come when something bad happens. When bad happens looting occurs, but it's a temporary solution for people who bear a grudge to their neighbor or want a TV. Looting and Raiding has never been a way of life, save for the occasional highwayman appearing in story and legend.
My point is that it just can't go on for centuries upon centuries.

If this was a 'lol we'll just drop a bomb here' then sure. But as I said, Mr. House states 77 atomic warheads were aimed for Vegas. VEGAS! Imagine how many bombs were dropped on the continental US with, for the sake of argument, 77 or there abouts warheads hitting every major city of most states. That kind of damage would definitely set our cultural progress back to 0. Plus, the thing is, people dont just become intelligent, it takes a real leader to drive the rest of their people into a brighter future. You might try to play mr. big balls and say 'I could lead my people' but no, you likely couldnt. People follow either the smartest, powerful, rich, or vicious of their pack. Salt Upon Wounds, Caesar, House, Kimball, Lyons, Ashur, Gizmo, Set, Tandi. All people with the sheer force of will with some unique trait that drove people to their side. Brutality, Stabilization, Wealth, Heroism, Nobility, Driving vision, mobsteresque wealth, strength of will, and charsimatic personality. All of them a unique trait that made them a hero because they had the natural skill for it. Plus, when tribes emerge, there comes the issue of people not seeing an enemy tribe as people, but rather as prey or no different than an animal to be hunted and or killed.


Eh, Enclave can claim power all it want's, but without this turning into the debate in the F3 forum, I dont recognize their hold to power since they mimic the government, but they are not, just descendents of higher ups, and the USA isnt a monarchy.

It all depends on just how bad the war was, really. If it was truly as all-encompassing as depicted in the FO universe, then yes, the world probably would have relatively quickly fallen into utter barbarism and ignorance, forgetting and losing most of what had been gained since the dark ages. Most of our modern civilization is based upon just a few key things which we all now take for granted- easy access to food, water, electricity, and fuel. All else is just fluff, when it comes down to it. You destroy the national power grid, fuel supply and hence food delivery system (not to mention the food itself, due to nuclear winter and fallout poisoning all the natural foods), and the survivors from the bombs pretty quickly starve out. Canned and dry foodstocks in stores and warehouses which survived the bombs and radiation, would pretty quickly get used up during the millions of survivor's desperate (and doomed) fight against starvation.

Large parts of the country (world) which are pretty dry and get most of their drinking water delivered from pumping deep wells or by long-distance irrigation systems dependent on lots of electricity and continuous good maintenance by people hundreds of miles away- pfft. They're flocked. Would the competition for water and foodstocks be organized and peacefull, when you have millions of survivors dying of hunger and armed with the hundreds of millions of weapons legally owned by Americans? Heh. It wouldn't be pretty. If you had a hoarde of canned goods in your basemant, and the armed, starving mob wandering down the street found out about it, what do you think is going to happen? Mhmm.

People just don't understand the awful power of fear and hunger and thirst, if it suddenly became a universal, immediate, life-and-death imperative for everyone on earth- with only your brain and your own two hands to do anything about it. And when most of those millions have died off, and the nuclear winter finally eased up years later, and the lucky and resourceful handfuls of survivors crawled out of their fortified basemants and caves to go about the job of surviving and repopulating the world, they aren't going to have huge piles of food still laying around in all the (remaining) warehouses and stores of the world, with which to get by on. The mass starvation in the months immediately after the war took care of most of those. No, they are going to have to hunt whatever animals are left, and learn to plow and plant whatever they can, just to stay alive.

With nothing but hard, back-breaking work keeping them alive from then on, and no medical infrastructure and few supplies left, and few doctors, life expectancies will plummet. Surviving 40 years will be a long life, and many diseases, accidents and misfortunes will just be fatal or permanently debilitating. Child mortality will be awful, especially considering the huge amount of radiation the world and all its inhabitants will have absorbed by that point. Within several generations, there will be nobody left who remembers life before The War. How much of the education, knowledge, and technology will the 'old timers' have been able to permanently impart onto their descendants, during those harsh times when every hand old enough to lift a hoe will be needed in the fields just to keep the community/family alive? Bullets become pretty undependable after 15 to 20 years of sitting around, and there would come a time when any still laying around simply won't work anymore. Weapons that don't require a lot of technology to create and use would have to be reverted to, for hunting and defense.

Within 100 years, or probably much less, mankind could very easily devolve again into a primitive way of life that europeans from the midieval darkages of our history would have been right at home in.

Some people just assume that much of our current way of life would just mysteriously continue on as if nothing happened, after such a worldwide holocaust. They are wrong. Dead wrong. Take away all the basic underpinnings for civilization, and civilization will cease to exist, pretty quickly.

I'm sorry I have to disagree with you and agree with chris avellone I feel fallout will get to a stage where it's too civilized .

OH NO BRO! HUMANITIES GONNA REBUILD AND CIVILIZE THE COUNTRY AGAIN! HOW DARE THEY NOT LIVE IN THE RUINED FILTH OF THE OLD WORLD RUBBLE!



Seriously though, Fallout ending on the note of the world civilizing is a good thing. Besides, unless they make over 5,000+ fallout games, Fallout wont become civilized. There's literally THOUSANDS of places to take the franchise. We don't have to keep visiting NCR lands you know. :shrug:

True, I mean their going to focus mainly on America but even then, they still haven't explored every inch of America's soil. For Example, I think the only places they shown us is California, Nevada, Arizona(in talk from NPC's), Mexico (again all talk, no show), Washington D.C., Maryland, annnd...wheres Pittsburgh? thats it. Nothing else. Hell, not even having Hawaii on there, makes ya wonder :/

Pensylvania

China

And eh, They havent even really shown us 2/5th of the East Coast. and only Reno and Vegas of Nevada. Tiny parts of Oregon (Arroyo).

Anywho, point in short, Fallout is still a ripe tree, it's just a matter of writing and visiting new places.

I think Sawyer once said it's better to stick to a place you know rather than do a setting you're unfamiliar with, arguing that you can do an area more justice that way. Sorta makes sense, considering Sawyer is a gun-nut so they put him in charge of weapon balancing, and the result is that guns are extremely well balanced whereas energy weapons are "meh."
Though having said that, I think Wyoming or Utah would be a good location to pick. They could expand on the Great Khans while still having a location near Caesar and the Canaanites.