More Fallout 3 details revealed

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 2nd July 2007

Fallout 3 is to be set thirty years after Fallout 2 and will be set in Washinton DC.

Bethesda has seen fit to start the hype early for Fallout 3 which, according to the recent trailer, will be out in the Fall of 2008. In a recent early preview of the game, Joystiq got a chance to spill the beans on some of the game's features.

The first thing to confirm was the timeframe; the game is set thirty years after the events of Fallout 2 - the entire story of the awful Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel and Fallout: Tactics has been eradicated from the Fallout continuity. Thank God.

The game is also going to have a lot of weather effects, with sandstorms one of the confirmed features and a day/night cycle playing an important role. There are apparently no drivable vehicles in the game, but players can fast-travel from specific locations by using the subway system.

The RPG/FPS hybrid will also allow both real-time and turn-based combat, with turn-based combat allowing specific limb targeting just as in previous Fallout games.

Unlike Oblivion, Fallout 3 plans to have children in the game, though whether they are slayable or not still remains to be seen. There are fewer NPCs in Fallout 3 than there were Oblivion and "almost all NPCs will be killable".

In the long-term, Bethesda is considering downloadable content for the game and the possibilities of player-created mods, but nothing has been finalised yet. The game is also set to feature at least nine to twelve endings, based on play styles.

Actually though, the most interesting piece of news that's surface is regarding the stat system, which will be the same SPECIAL system as seen in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 and will still use the Karma system to monitor reputation. Apparently there is a level 20 cap on players, with perks offered every other level. The stats system also seems to monitor 'Corpses eaten'.

"We're not talking about that stuff," Executive Producer Todd Howard said when asked about the cannibalistic stat.

Care to speculate on how the game is going to shape up? Drop your comments in the usual place.