The Creation Engine has to be modified in order to handle so many objects an actors compressed into a smaller area. This turned out to require significant technical upgrades. We set an early goal to have the overland experience be seamless, making our major metropolitan zone, Boston, contiguous with the Wasteland rather than separate from it, as DC was in Fallout 3. And were we needed to go dark and oppressive, we did, creating even more emotional impact because of the contrast.įOR FALLOUT 4 WE SET out to create the richest, densest and most varied and detailed world we'd ever attempted.

The Wasteland is still bleak and devoid of color, but the manmade elements pop against the landscape. This called for a dash of optimism, and Fallout 4s approach was to use a more varied palette with vibrant accent colors to create more emotional range. This oppressive atmosphere can take its toll on a player emotionally, and we wanted to move past a story about the despair of barely surviving to one of rebuilding and looking to the future of humanity. Fallout 3 made a strong visual statement with a heavily controlled palette and moody art design that conveyed the bleakness of the world. Their unique, pulpy sci-fi quality is wholly original in the post-apocalyptic genre, and Fallout 4 needed a distinct look to make it a definitive Fallout game.Ī big part of this reset was a new approach to the game's atmosphere and color design. This is the first example of many where we would look to the classic games for inspiration. In contrast to the utilitarian jumpsuit of Vault 101, Vault 111's cryopods called for a form-fitting suit with a more sci-fi-style design that also called to mind the original Vault 13 suit. We would continue to use this approach as we designed all the aspects of the game.Īs we gradually rolled into full preproduction mode, our ace concept team started drawing. This time the armor was to be bigger, more imposing, more realistic, and fully functional. We took this same approach for Fallout 4. Redesigning the classic power armor was a useful exercise in finding a balance between staying true to the original game's vibe and introducing a fresh aesthetic for the new game.

As the primary image on the box cover, the helmet is an iconic element of the series, and it seemed like a great place to start. In 2004, when we started working on Fallout 3, the first asset we made was the power armor helmet. Even though the game would evolve over the following years, we knew from the very beginning what the essential elements were. We toyed with ideas for the location, story, and themes, and then the art development started in earnest in late 2009. FALLOUT 4 STARTED SOON after the last DLC for Fallout 3 was finished.

Fallout 4 concept art