Fallout 4: Visions of an Expanded Gameworld

[JoseAstrada]

Abstract

 

The vanilla Fallout 4 assets makes my imagination run wild. I see so much potential for the game and I'm hoping this is the right forum to express myself. In short I'd like to detail a series of gameplay expansion ideas I think would enrich Fallout 4 or any survival game with base building elements.

 

I plan to organize my thoughts a bit better but here's a start.

 

Settlements and the Overworld.

 

I feel that use of the settlement building features where sorely overlooked as a tool for exploration.

 

- Imagine if the commonwealth wasn't immediately accessible on foot. The first thing that comes to mind is ruins, rubble and radiation.

- Ruined buildings and rubble blocking access to large urban areas that can be built over or cleared

- Collapses metro tunnels that can be cleared to unlock new areas

- Water with lethal radiation that needs bridges or barges

- Generators to restore power to facilities (thereby granting access to terminals and doors etc, or for the least lighting)

- Construction missions ( imagine you need to set up a MILA for the railroad but in order to do it, you need to construct a series of platforms and scafolding so you can scale a tall structure)

 

- Faction Specific Technologies

- Imagine if the recon missions for the brotherhood scribes or semper invicta to a lesser degree unlocked unique workbench schematics or more efficient building techniques.

- What if by working with or studying factions or finding blueprints unlocked different snap and build style structures, defences, resources etc. (lets say you complete the missions for gray garden and in turn you

learn better crop techniques, can train settlers to be more productive [more than 6 food per person]).

- Building raider settlements, or military outposts, or recon camps, or trading posts.

 

Thanks for having a look, if you in fact had a look. These are just a few abstracted ideas, most of these aren't so much individual concepts in my mind as much as they are entire quest lines brought to life by expanded gameplay.

 

Edit: I had to fix up some text

Edited February 28, 2016 by JoseAstrada

[JoseAstrada]

One of the concepts I felt was overlooked was an immersive use of the settlements to drive quest lines and exploration. This post is aimed at outlining a quest concept that focus' on how settlement construction might work as quest line or at least a major part of it.

 

Using Abernathy farm as an example; Fallout 4 introduces the concept that settlements exist to produce a service or product from which some citizens of the commonwealth make a livelihood. From here the a plot could be developed around improving an existing product of the settlement, their ability to profit from the product or simply a means to defend themselves. Without to needing to contrive to much plot it's possible to build a story or quest around developing the settlement.

 

A simple quest line mine involve gaining the support of a settlement by constructing enough water purifiers or pumps to generate 40 units of water. The current system for crafting within a settlement typically requires the work shop to be aligned with you. This isn't necessarily an obstacle settlers already have the capacity to generate and resolve quest lines without the need for a Preston Garvey figure to introduce the quest separately.

 

A separate or continuation of the previous quest might involve constructing a means for the settlers to store and trade their water/product, this could be as simple as building a shop within the settlement along with some 45 gallon drums, or setting up a trade route or perhaps passing a speech check in diamond city or bunker hill to ensure that caravans buy the product.

 

This essentially the settlement tutorial tweaked slightly but it would at least serve to break up some of the monotony of assault or rescue missions that the minutemen constantly produce whilst also developing the settlements. In addition to a settlement producing additional caps or resources. The variations of such a quest that involve increased food or water production would indirectly require the player to increase the defences and in some cases reallocate or acquire additional manpower in the form of settlers.

 

All this I hope would provide an immersive and dynamic means to revisit and expand settlements. The quests could be as simple or as sophisticated as the designer has time and energy.