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Bethesda on DLC: Keep it small, 'digestible'

by Richard Mitchell { Apr 11th 2009 at 5:08AM }

Speaking to Gamasutra, Bethesda VP Pete Hines shared his company's philosophy regarding DLC. After crafting plenty of DLC for Oblivion ranging from small quest packs to the full expansion of Shivering Isles, Hines says that the team decided to focus on small, but still significant, pieces of downloadable content for Fallout 3. According to Hines, Bethesda decided to shy away from full expansions like Shivering Isles because "those things just take so damn long to do."

The goal then was to create enjoyable DLC in "smaller, digestible chunks," which led Bethesda to use the Oblivion DLC "Knights of the Nine" as the model for Fallout 3. This model, said Hines, is "substantive and it adds multiple hours of game play and new items, but we can do it in a time frame that allows us to get it out without waiting forever."

What say you, Fallout fans? Do you prefer the small, but frequent DLC packs, or would you rather see a full-blown expansion a year from now?

Masthead Studios lending Interplay a hand with suspected Fallout MMO

by Griffin McElroy { Apr 3rd 2009 at 3:44PM }

The fate of Interplay's long-held plans to create an MMO in the Fallout universe (assumedly heralded under the code name Project V13) has been in peril for quite some time now. Many feared the project would be scrapped when the title's creative director moved on to a different company, though a glimmer of light pierced the darkness yesterday -- Masthead Studios, developers of the upcoming post-apocalyptic MMO Earthrise, will be giving Interplay its proprietary tools and technology for use in Project V13.

Given our MMO-obsessed sister site Massively's positive hands-on experience with Earthrise at GDC, we're excited to see how this technology will be used in Interplay's MMO. Of course, there's always a chance that Project V13 has nothing to do with Fallout. Sure, there's plenty of evidence to the contrary, but Interplay could very well be working on an Earthworm Jim MMO, which ... well, which would be just as awesome.

PSA: Welcome (back) to Fallout 3's 'The Pitt'

by David Hinkle { Mar 25th 2009 at 3:16PM }

Tips are flooding in that Fallout 3 DLC pack 'The Pitt' has re-emerged onto Xbox Live Marketplace. Those of you haven't been following the story, here's the skinny: A corrupted version of the file was pulled from Microsoft's service yesterday, with Bethesda promising a correction today. And, just as promised, it's back right now, ready for you to download sans nasty bugs. Protip: make sure you delete the old file if you downloaded it yesterday.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Gallery: Fallout 3: The Pitt

Original Fallout designer leaves Interplay, joins inXile dev team

by Xav de Matos { Mar 18th 2009 at 4:55PM }

One of the developers behind the classic Fallout has ended his tenure with Interplay to join inXile Entertainment. Jason Anderson brings his survival instincts to inXile as the creative director for an unannounced role-playing title. At the end of his career with Interplay, Anderson was working as the creative director on a next generation MMO named Project: V13 -- which our blogging cohorts at BigDownload surmise was a poorly coded way of saying Vault 13, a long-rumored Fallout MMO.

Anderson's exit probably feels like déjà vu to his Interplay comrades. In 1998, Anderson left Interplay to form Troika Games (best known for Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura) but returned in 2007 when that company shut down. While we wish Anderson the best, we really hope Interplay will reveal what Project: V13 really is ... as long as it is a Fallout MMO.

[Via BigDownload]

The Fallout game you'll never play: Brotherhood of Steel 2

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 16th 2009 at 8:15PM }

Fallout 3 isn't the first console Fallout game, but it certainly feels like it. Series fans have, for the most part, forgotten about the franchise black sheep, 2004's Brotherhood of Steel, for PS2 and Xbox. A sequel to the game was in the works, and according to its design document, would have provided a Fallout experience that appears more closely related to the original PC games than the original BoS or, arguably, Fallout 3.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun hypothesizes that the success of Brotherhood of Steel 2 would have repositioned the series as a console-only franchise, and would have prevented Bethesda from getting its hands on the series. Of course, considering the negative reaction to the first BoS title, it's clear why this project never really took off.

The 32-page design document is a relic for any Fallout fan to flip through, with tons of never-before-seen art, including images of the always-lovable ~~Pip~~ Vault Boy. The game will never see the light of day, but with this design doc, you can play it on the best console around: your imagination.

Expect Fallout 3's 'The Pitt' to be four hours long

by Majed Athab { Mar 16th 2009 at 1:00PM }

The Fallout 3 DLC pack containing post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh (what it would have looked like had the Steelers not won the Superbowl) is said to have ''four hours of playtime." That's according to lead producer Jeff Gardiner who spoke to VG247.

The Pitt, which hits later this month for 800

($10), includes new weapons, Achievements and perks. And maybe, just maybe, you might find a Superbowl XLIII trophy lying around in the rubble -- oh wait, this is alternate reality, scratch that.

Fallout 3 patched in preparation for 'The Pitt'

by Dustin Burg { Mar 2nd 2009 at 7:00PM }

Today, Bethesda released a title update for Fallout 3 in preparation for The Pitt DLC, which is scheduled for release later this month. The patch enables the upcoming add-on (once it's live) and three new Achievements associated with The Pitt content. Other than that, it's the same old wasteland for now. So, back to scrounging for scrap metals and that last bobblehead ...

[Thanks, Shaun]

NYCC 09: Bethesda developing iPhone title

by Jem Alexander { Feb 6th 2009 at 6:45PM }

In the closest thing you'll find to a Megaton announcement at New York Comic Con, Fallout 3 executive producer Todd Howard has confirmed during a panel at the show that Bethesda is now working on an iPhone game. News of this comes from Newsweek corespondent N'Gai Croal's twitter feed (we heard it, too -- sitting in the audience!) and includes no other details. That's because there weren't any.

Whether the game is Fallout-related, Oblivion-related or something completely new, we're intrigued to find out. Who knows, maybe it's that ill-fated Oblivion PSP title that never made it to market. Check back later for our full report on the Todd Howard and Ken Levine panel at Comic Con.

PC gamers report Operation: Anchorage issues

by David Hinkle { Feb 2nd 2009 at 2:57PM }

Those of you who prefer to play Fallout 3 on the PC and have yet to download Operation: Anchorage DLC should take note of some reported issues. Forum users at the official Games for Windows site are reporting that the game fails to recognize the DLC in some instances. According to a GFW forum mod, it takes a couple of minutes to validate the DLC (see: boot up your game, go into the Wastelands, wait), but some users are still having problems accessing the content.

It's unclear whether the updated GFW Live interface plays a role or if it's just an isolated DLC bug, but we hope that Bethesda and Microsoft step in and clear this up soon.

Todd Howard's 'greatest' lessons from Fallout 3

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 30th 2009 at 9:40AM }

While on some futile quest to learn more about the inevitable Fallout 4, MTV Multiplayer asked Bethesda's Todd Howard what lessons he learned from the current installment. His answer: "Greatest lesson? Don't let the game end, and don't have a level cap."

We're going to have to agree with Howard on both counts. Although it appears PS3 owners won't be getting a reprieve from the game's brick wall ending, PC and X360 owners have the third DLC pack, Broken Steel, arriving in March. The pack allows players to continue past the "end" and raises the level cap to 30. We'd tell Bethesda not to make the same mistake again, but the company is going to make $10 off every Fallout 3 player that cares enough to continue. P.T. Barnum would be proud.

Fallout 3 patched today, Operation Anchorage DLC coming Jan. 27

by Ross Miller { Jan 13th 2009 at 12:28PM }

Bethesda just sent us word that the first Fallout 3 DLC, Operation Anchorage, will officially debut on Xbox Live on January 27th for the aforementioned price of 800

($10, 50 caps or 100 pieces of scrap metal), which will hopefully give us just enough time to plow through the new content for Mirror's Edge and Fable 2.

Additionally, the developer has also pushed out a patch today for all platforms, which, among other fixes, finally keeps those pesky, murdered NPCs dead. Sure beats them coming back from the grave all bitter and willing to give you directions to the nearest hotel. It's the same patch PS3 owners got in mid-December, so check out the full patch notes here.

Gallery: Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage

CES 2009: 'Real' Pip-Boy revealed, Vault-Tec stock soars

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 8th 2009 at 7:46PM }

In the bowels of CES, Engadget discovered the first sign that the nuclear holocaust foretold in the Fallout series is approaching. Yes, what you see above is a Pip-Boy prototype. Sure, Universal Display Corporation hasn't given a name to its 4-inch, flexible, wrist-worn OLED display (designed for the ~~Brotherhood of Steel~~ military), but we know exactly what we'll be using this handy thing for in the future -- well, those of us who survive, at least.

Perhaps we can put this in a way that'll convey the seriousness of this situation:

Step 1: Pip-Boy invented.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Nuclear holocaust.

Check out a video of the device after the break. Start saving for your vault cot now!

Continued →

Fallout 3 Collector's Edition for $50 at Amazon today

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 5th 2009 at 1:45PM }

If you've yet to explore the not quite barren wastelands of Fallout 3, today might just be the day to get started. Amazon is currently offering the collector's edition of Fallout 3 for $49.98, just over $30 less than the retail price of $79.99. Lest you've forgotten, the collector's edition comes with a Vault Boy bobblehead, a 100 page art book, a making-of DVD and a sweet metal lunchbox (It also includes the game, which is important). If that sounds just a bit too paltry for your expensive taste, Amazon is also offering its exclusive Survival Edition for $109.98, a $20.01 savings over the regular price. The Survival Edition includes all the extras of the collector's edition, with the addition of a replica Pip-Boy digital clock.

Like we said, if you've been waiting to get Fallout 3, nabbing the collector's edition for less than the standard edition is a pretty sweet deal.

[Thanks, Alex]

Source - Amazon.com -- Fallout 3 Collector's Edition
Source - Amazon.com -- Fallout 3 Survival Edition

Fallout 3 patch brings Trophies, stops annoying freezing bug

by Andrew Yoon { Dec 15th 2008 at 1:15PM }

Playing Fallout 3 has been

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a little frustrating because of the

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bug that freezes your game every

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time a PSN notification occurs. But thankfully, a patch has gone live in Europe (Update: and now America!) that finally squashes the bug. The patch also adds Trophy support. (Check out the Trophy list here.) Enjoy being able to play Fallout 3 whilst keeping your sanity.

[Thanks, David G.!]

Fallout 3 G.E.C.K. mod tools now available on PC

by Ross Miller { Dec 11th 2008 at 10:30PM }

With just 8.47MB to spare, you can create a whole post-apocalyptic world on your PC. Bethesda has followed through on its not-quite promises from Penny Arcade Expo and released the aptly-titled Garden of Eden Creation Kit, a set of mod tools. According to the description, everything in the game can be modified, so feel free to go LittleBigWasteland, and please, let us know how it goes.

Download Fallout 3 G.E.C.K.

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