Fallout 3: Van Buren (Spoilers!)

[hexer]

Didn't they name LA the Boneyard because the city's ruined skyscrapers reminded them of bones, ribs, skeletons, death?

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

It's the fact the barren and uninhabited ruins of LA seem to stretch forever. In the Vault Dweller's Memoirs included in the manual for Fallout 2, Vault Dweller says that the Boneyard is so vast it must have been the largest city in the world before the War.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

I always thought that Boneyard is full of corpses.

Anyway, both Necropolis and Adytum are pretty foreign words.

 

[hexer]

UPDATE #2

The Twin Mothers maps are finished and only their custom art is left to do.
Tibbets' maps remain unfinished until we flesh out the location. MCA wrote very little of it. If anyone's on good terms with him, can you please bug him to spill the beans?

I started work on Hoover Dam - this thing is monstrous - it will have about 15 in-game maps. Also, lots of custom art is required for it. So far, 5 maps are finished and I haven't even started yet.

Finally, I need to remind everybody that we still haven't decided on location names. The locations that need a new name the most are:

Hoover Dam
The Crater
The Grand Canyon
Bloomfield Space Center
Ouroboros

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I've started work on the flavour texts. I'm thinking of writing several for each area due to the difficulty of portraying the Nursery through in-game graphics on the engine. One thing I'd like to ask is if I'll be given a roadmap for the functional effects of dialogues, or if I'll take care of that too?

 

[Zarniwoop]

Why does the Hoover Dam need a new name, again?

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I dunno lol.

Anyway, my take is that the current names are fine.

 

[BGMD]

maybe Big Crack for Canyon
others seems fine... if Hecate is taken from greek mythology, then Ouroboros could be too through some found literature

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

Inb4CeaseAndDesistLetterFromBethesda

 

[tuluse]

99.9% of people in America have never heard the word Ouroboros.

 

[hexer]

maybe Big Crack for Canyon
others seems fine... if Hecate is taken from greek mythology, then Ouroboros could be too through some found literature

Ouroboros is alternatively spelled Uroboros according to Wikipedia. Maybe a shortened name would work such as Uro or Boros. Or Uro Boros.
Uroboros is definitively easier to pronounce - I'm breaking my tongue to pronounce Ouroboros.

One thing I'd like to ask is if I'll be given a roadmap for the functional effects of dialogues, or if I'll take care of that too?

You need rules for dialog writing or we're not thinking about the same thing?

Why does the Hoover Dam need a new name, again?

Click here's to see yesterday's discussion on this.

Inb4CeaseAndDesistLetterFromBethesda

They don't like Fallout modders but TES modders are OK? Or they simply don't like RPG Codex modders?

 

[Ninjerk]

They don't like Fallout modders but TES modders are OK? Or they simply don't like RPG Codex modders?

I'm pretty sure they don't like Fallout.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

One thing I'd like to ask is if I'll be given a roadmap for the functional effects of dialogues, or if I'll take care of that too?

You need rules for dialog writing or we're not thinking about the same thing?

No no, just a roadmap for what the dialogue is supposed to have for each character. You know, quests given, map markers to discover, the works.

 

[hexer]

No no, just a roadmap for what the dialogue is supposed to have for each character. You know, quests given, map markers to discover, the works.

Just put notes (or comments) on map markers and different states of quests in a different color inside the document.

 

[Curious_Tongue]

We should ask someone from Obsidian whether they would consider doing a KS to recreate Van buren, but with the Fallout references changed or removed.

A friend told me that there was LOTR game made with the rights to the name, but not the characters. Frondo and Grendalf and their adventures in the mid-world or something like that. I could live with Kaiser's Legion and Brothers of the Forge if need be, I know what they're talking about.

Maybe the folks at Obsidian don't live in the past like we do though:shrug:

 

[Tigranes]

Doubt it, given how much of VB they already reused in various forms.

 

[Jaesun]

I heard your music on Soundcloud. Didn't know you're composing until yesterday! Maybe you could create a song or two for Van Buren one day if the inspiration hits you.

Most (not all) of my stuff on soundcloud is using creative commons copyright, so if you like something feel free to use it (but my stuff really isn't for a post apocalyptic environments I think). But if inspiration hits me, I'll be sure to submit something for you.

Surf Solar is the resident GOD of post apocalyptic music on the codex. It would be really really nice if he put some of his work up for the creative commons copyright on SoundCloud for people like you to use it. But I don't know if that's what he would like to do. JUST A TINY HINT SURF.

 

[hexer]

Small update regarding the location names. The Grand Canyon will retain its name because it has come to my attention that Harold refers to it in FO2 by its real world name.

Need a little time on the whetstone yourself, huh? I mean they are not too bright. Here’s an example. The other day I get a report. On it, it says the main coolant valve should be shut down. That woulda caused a meltdown that would make the Grand Canyon look like a pig wallow.

 

[hexer]

Also, it seems Circle Junction and Fort Abandon were intended to be the same location according to JE Sawyer: http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=421503

Are we going to merge them?

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Well, first we should get more people looking at the overall design to see which is functionally the better option.

 

[hexer]

Yes, I'd rather retain as much locations as we can. Although the same group (Iron Lines) exists at both locations, that shouldn't really be a problem - their HQ could be Circle Junction and a smaller scout group could be at Fort Abandon. We get to keep both locations, the Iron Lines are present at each one and everybody's happy.

 

[hexer]

Doh, they're performing some sort of forum maintenance. I have the topic saved on my USB stick but I left it at my job. I'll repost it tomorrow morning.

 

[Horus]

Small update regarding the location names. The Grand Canyon will retain its name because it has come to my attention that Harold refers to it in FO2 by its real world name.

Need a little time on the whetstone yourself, huh? I mean they are not too bright. Here’s an example. The other day I get a report. On it, it says the main coolant valve should be shut down. That woulda caused a meltdown that would make the Grand Canyon look like a pig wallow.

Harold is one of the oldest living beings you see in Fallout 2 so it's not strange for him to remember it's actual name. Rest of the world may have forgotten it's name or they might simply don't care about natural wonders in that time.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

I think there's no point of changing names if things don't change. Grand Canyon wouldn't get drastically altered by the apocalypse.

On the other hand both Bakersfield and Los Angeles have turned into huge graveyards.

 

[Kamoho]

I think there's no point of changing names if things don't change. Grand Canyon wouldn't get drastically altered by the apocalypse.

On the other hand both Bakersfield and Los Angeles have turned into huge graveyards.

I'd agree, but the grand canyon being a giant radioactive pit with all kinds of curious wildlife might perhaps cause people to give it different name. On the other hand, it's still a canyon and it's still grand, so the name isn't that unlikely, and there's probably road signs left all over pointing to it.