Good Old Games Fallout Week, Continued
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Companions, such as the shabby yet loveable Dogmeat from Fallout, were given particular nurturing. As Avellone recalls, "companions in Fallout were not planned from the outset; they came in last-minute. I don't recall the exact quotes from Tim Cain, but I believe the words 'hacks' and 'afterthoughts' were part of the conversation. Even so, companions were very well-received, and Dogmeat alone was definitely one of the highlights of the game. Based on fan reaction, it was pretty clear that we wanted to give added attention to companion AI and companion setting design for Fallout 2, as well as give them ever more design attention in dialogues and reactivity."They're also adding a new executable for Fallout Tactics that will unlock a bonus mission, but you obviously have to buy the game to get access to such assets.
Black Isle knew that the moral theme that had garnered so much praise for Fallout would be just as pivotal to Fallout 2. To expand the theme, Avellone and the team placed heavy emphasis on the narrative's scope. "We chose events that would be referenced between towns, and whenever possible, set up chains of towns that would respond to each other; Gecko and Vault City are the most prominent example," Avellone says. "Whenever possible, we also used perk scripting checks and tokenization of nicknames to create the illusion of popularity or infamy in some towns, such as New Reno."
Avellone was no stranger to the ripple effects made by every in-game decision. "I felt an intense desire to murder the kids in the Den when I realized they were stealing my stuff," he recalls from one early play session. "Then I realized that if I did that, I would be stigmatized in the game. This was a holdover from the original designers for Fallout 2, their souls be damned."
