Fallout Fallout 2 Beta

[hexer]

OK, let's try this - maybe something comes out of it.

It was the summer/autumn of 1998., a month or two before Fallout 2's release.

The 15-year old me was a mischievous teen, my parents just got divorced but all I cared for in this world was the sequel to the first true RPG I played - Fallout.
I knew my best friend's parents would buy him Fallout 2 and that he would eventually pass it over to me.
But the devil never sleeps! I picked up a local pirate's game catalog to see if the game has already been made "available."
I browsed the catalog and something VERY interesting caught my eye - Fallout 2 Beta.

So I picked up the phone and called the shady pirate.
We spoke for a short time about the beta and I remember how he emphasized that it was an incomplete version of the game
and I might be better off waiting for a full release which was "just around the corner".
I shrugged it off, a few months later Fallout 2 was released, my friend got it and I eventually played it.

I completely forgot about the Beta during all these years ...
until yesterday when I browsed Interplay's old Fallout 2 website and noticed this:

https://web.archive.org/web/20000902161638/www.interplay.com/fallout2/log2.html

10/26/98

I have been getting a lot of E-mail from people who have "gotten" the "BETA" off of the net. Just to answer a bunch of people's questions all at once:

1) This was a preview version that we sent to the press about four months ago. They were not supposed to release it to the net.

2) The game is VERY different then it is in that version. In fact the whole first part of the game is totally different. In the final version you do not start out in a cave as you do in the preview version from the net.

3) Thanks for the E-mails from people who want to report bugs in it, but since it's four months old a lot of the code has changed.

Hope that clears some things up,

-Feargus (fallout2@interplay.com)

So Feargus found out and wasn't too happy about the leak.

Also, I remember seeing this image from time to time.
Notice how it says Fallout II 0.5 in the lower right corner and the menu items are on the right side, just like in the first Fallout.

I know it has been over 20 years, HDs die, CDs get broken, and people forget.

But, the million dollar question is - does anyone have Fallout 2 Beta, knows someone who still might have it or just simply played it and could tell us more about it?

 

[agris]

seems like a good question for Lexx and .Pixote.

 

[jebsmoker]

you can try your luck at the old games ru forums; they're great at archiving old games and documenting and preserving prototype builds

 

[Grotesque]

I want the beta too!

 

[.Pixote.]

I had no idea this even existed, wouldn't mind getting my hands on it.

 

[Nano]

So I picked up the phone and called the shady pirate.
We spoke for a short time about the beta and I remember how he emphasized that it was an incomplete version of the game
and I might be better off waiting for a full release which was "just around the corner".

I see this pirate isn't exactly a salesman. Maybe you'd still have it stashed away somewhere if he was.

 

[Nano]

I'm using the Wayback Machine to go through the old Interplay forums and find other mentions of the demo, but it's not panning out well. The thing is that the board messages appeared to be using a collapsible format, with each post having a title and text. The problem is that only the titles got archived, not the text. See this for instance:

• INTERPLAY, PEASE READ. - Technosaur 18:07:23 10/20/98 (8)

• • Fixed - Chris Avellone - Interplay 21:52:50 10/20/98 (4)

WHAT DID YOU FIX, CHRIS?? It annoys me that I'll never know.

Edit: Forgot to post mentions of the beta.

Spoiler

Dogmeat & Fallout 2 beta - Titan 21:37:19 10/12/98 (22)

• 
  
  
  • The best reason for buying..You get INSTRUCTION MANUAL!!! - Jazid 18:41:42 10/15/98 (1)
    • But then; who reads em anyway ;-) (n/t) - Jazid 18:43:38 10/15/98 (0)
  • Sorry, no such beta! - MrDog 18:34:03 10/13/98 (0)
  • Pirated betas... - Teplar 12:20:46 10/13/98 (4)
    • Two words: 2D Boxing (very old game) - Wastelander 09:12:58 10/15/98 (0)
    • beta - LL 01:40:47 10/14/98 (0)
    • What I never understood... - SonofaGun 12:41:40 10/13/98 (0)
    • But knowing who is leaking the beta will help them. - ShadowDancer, GPBUV 12:34:24 10/13/98 (0)
  • I would love to know where to download from... - Frenzie - Interplay 11:47:16 10/13/98 (5)
    • I hate Warez... - Felix 23:10:32 10/15/98 (0)
    • Its not, hes full of $#!t nt - Lunacriss 14:02:35 10/13/98 (3)
      • You've been to every warez site out there? - ShadowDancer, GPBUV 16:01:51 10/13/98 (2)
        • yes, warez is my life. fallout 2 is not out n/t - Lunacriss 18:53:14 10/13/98 (1)
          • I know, they are stupid - joe smart 13:57:48 10/14/98 (0)
  • pirate - TraUmATiCz 03:02:11 10/13/98 (5)
    • duh - LL 01:34:12 10/14/98 (0)
    • The Pirate Thing - The Average KoffieMoffie (Translaion available at request) 11:33:40 10/13/98 (2)
      • ofcouse you fools!! - joe 14:00:26 10/14/98 (0)
      • ofcouse you fools!! - joe 13:58:47 10/14/98 (0)
    • .... - J. Ryan 05:16:20 10/13/98 (0)
  • If it's out, it's pirated. - ShadowDancer, GPBUV 23:25:58 10/12/98 (0)
  • I like this idea - Dogluv 23:14:06 10/12/98 (0)

https://web.archive.org/web/20001012121933/http://www.interplay.com/fallout2/archlist.html (archive #15)

There's one post from an Interplay person asking where people are getting it from. As I said above, only the post titles survived, not the text.

I realize that none of this is very helpful.

 

[Lexx]

This is the first time ever that I hear there had been a Fallout 2 beta leak. Guess the internet does forget at times.

 

[hexer]

I realize that none of this is very helpful.

A fair effort has been made nonetheless! I wonder if Frenzie, TraUmATiCz and Lunacriss eventually got the Beta. Who are these people? We need to know!
Jokes aside, some of those ARE archived but guess what happened.. a moderator/bot nuked them and they all have content like this:

https://web.archive.org/web/20010307135203fw_/http://feedback.interplay.com/fallout2/msg1/705.html

 

[CappenVarra]

is that the one where there was no sprite for a shovel, instead showing a pink rectangle with white placeholder text?

 

[hexer]

is that the one where there was no sprite for a shovel, instead showing a pink rectangle with white placeholder text?

Hmm.. haven't heard about that one... maybe it was just a bug.
I know the shovel sprites were already in the first Fallout, but they haven't turned them into inventory items until Fallout 2.

 

[luj1]

This is more related to Fallout 1 beta, but awhile back agris and me were trying to track down this pre-relase version of Fallout.

It boasts a stylized right-click menu, more similar to the radial menu in Planescape Torment. Also, punch and kick are both selectable from the same panel. I was immediately attracted to this older version of the UI and think it's superior. Perhaps it's not that hard to mod in (?).

 

[Tacgnol]

This is more related to Fallout 1 beta, but awhile back agris and me were trying to track down this pre-relase version of Fallout.

It boasts a stylized right-click menu, more similar to the radial menu in Planescape Torment. Also, punch and kick are both selectable from the same panel. I was immediately attracted to this older version of the UI and think it's superior. Perhaps it's not that hard to mod in (?).

I wonder if the attacks menu applied to firearms as well? Like you could select single/burst without having to switch between.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

This is more related to Fallout 1 beta, but awhile back agris and me were trying to track down this pre-relase version of Fallout.

It boasts a stylized right-click menu, more similar to the radial menu in Planescape Torment. Also, punch and kick are both selectable from the same panel. I was immediately attracted to this older version of the UI and think it's superior. Perhaps it's not that hard to mod in (?).

It's GURPs version. Would be even more fun to find some prerelease Fallout with GURPS still in.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Ok so my shady pirate was a better salesman and told me tbat F2 beta was good and it could be completed. I remember playing it for a while, but it was buggy as hell.
It was fun beating people up with a cattle prod, and oh, the shovel had no icon (cant remember if the icon was pink)

 

[hexer]

Ok so my shady pirate was a better salesman and told me tbat F2 beta was good and it could be completed. I remember playing it for a while, but it was buggy as hell.
It was fun beating people up with a cattle prod, and oh, the shovel had no icon (cant remember if the icon was pink)

Can you remember how was the beginning different? There was no Temple of Trials?

This is more related to Fallout 1 beta, but awhile back agris and me were trying to track down this pre-relase version of Fallout.

It boasts a stylized right-click menu, more similar to the radial menu in Planescape Torment. Also, punch and kick are both selectable from the same panel. I was immediately attracted to this older version of the UI and think it's superior. Perhaps it's not that hard to mod in (?).

Yes, a GURPS version of Fallout!
Sorry for the crap video quality, no better version exists

 

[Tacgnol]

Ok so my shady pirate was a better salesman and told me tbat F2 beta was good and it could be completed. I remember playing it for a while, but it was buggy as hell.
It was fun beating people up with a cattle prod, and oh, the shovel had no icon (cant remember if the icon was pink)

Can you remember how was the beginning different? There was no Temple of Trials?

This is more related to Fallout 1 beta, but awhile back agris and me were trying to track down this pre-relase version of Fallout.

It boasts a stylized right-click menu, more similar to the radial menu in Planescape Torment. Also, punch and kick are both selectable from the same panel. I was immediately attracted to this older version of the UI and think it's superior. Perhaps it's not that hard to mod in (?).

Yes, a GURPS version of Fallout!
Sorry for the crap video quality, no better version exists

Some interesting stuff in that video, aimed burst fire amongst other things.

Would be fascinating to play the GURPS version.

 

[Grotesque]

So there is only way left.

The Codex to choose an ambassador to go to Feargus with an apology letter and with at least $300 in cash to buy the beta.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Ok so my shady pirate was a better salesman and told me tbat F2 beta was good and it could be completed. I remember playing it for a while, but it was buggy as hell.
It was fun beating people up with a cattle prod, and oh, the shovel had no icon (cant remember if the icon was pink)

Can you remember how was the beginning different? There was no Temple of Trials?

This is more related to Fallout 1 beta, but awhile back agris and me were trying to track down this pre-relase version of Fallout.

It boasts a stylized right-click menu, more similar to the radial menu in Planescape Torment. Also, punch and kick are both selectable from the same panel. I was immediately attracted to this older version of the UI and think it's superior. Perhaps it's not that hard to mod in (?).

Yes, a GURPS version of Fallout!
Sorry for the crap video quality, no better version exists

There was no Temple definitely, because i remember when the full version came out the first time i went through it (and the animation at the end when you get the V13 jumpsuit).
My memory is very fuzzy but i do remember beating up some raiders in a Den like town, cant remember more sorry.
Oh and the main screen was different than the final version (it was thst 0.50 pic).
Also, i think (not 100% sure) there were no geckos, i remember molerats, them big ones, but no geckos

 

[Jenovatetra]

Ok so my shady pirate was a better salesman and told me tbat F2 beta was good and it could be completed. I remember playing it for a while, but it was buggy as hell.
It was fun beating people up with a cattle prod, and oh, the shovel had no icon (cant remember if the icon was pink)

Can you remember how was the beginning different? There was no Temple of Trials?

This is more related to Fallout 1 beta, but awhile back agris and me were trying to track down this pre-relase version of Fallout.

It boasts a stylized right-click menu, more similar to the radial menu in Planescape Torment. Also, punch and kick are both selectable from the same panel. I was immediately attracted to this older version of the UI and think it's superior. Perhaps it's not that hard to mod in (?).

Yes, a GURPS version of Fallout!
Sorry for the crap video quality, no better version exists

There was no Temple definitely, because i remember when the full version came out the first time i went through it (and the animation at the end when you get the V13 jumpsuit).
My memory is very fuzzy but i do remember beating up some raiders in a Den like town, cant remember more sorry.
Oh and the main screen was different than the final version (it was thst 0.50 pic).
Also, i think (not 100% sure) there were no geckos, i remember molerats, them big ones, but no geckos

Do you happen to still have that old pc you played the beta on?

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Nah man, sry, sold it ages ago

 

[ind33d]

i hated the fucking temple of trials. who makes an RPG then adds a boring linear section at the beginning just to irritate people who like to replay the game with a new character, the entire point of an RPG?

 

[Modron]

i hated the fucking temple of trials. who makes an RPG then adds a boring linear section at the beginning just to irritate people who like to replay the game with a new character, the entire point of an RPG?

99.9% of rpg and jrpg developers. At least the temple is shorter than the average in game introductory tutorial these days.