EldarOfSuburbia
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- Feb 8, 2014
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While the Skyrim table is pretty good with exposition within its storyline, and Doom doesn't really need any background knowledge, Fallout suffers from introducing terms and concepts that it just doesn't explain.
If you're really interested in in-depth reading, I suggest the Fallout Wikia: http://fallout.wikia.com
That's a lot to get through, though, so here's a briefer guide to the world of Fallout (still pretty lengthy, mind).
(I may work on formatting of this post, and add/move/reorganize stuff, if people want. In particular, a piece about companions.)
General Background
In 2077, after decades of conventional conflict over the Earth's dwindling natural resources, nuclear war erupts - with the USA and China as the principal protagonists. The "war" is predictably swift, with the Earth rapidly reduced to a nuclear wasteland.
You, your spouse, and infant son, are amongst the lucky ones, or so you thought. Shepherded into a secure underground fallout shelter - or "Vault" - you believe you will emerge some years later to help rebuild humanity. You were tricked.
The truth is, most of these "Vaults" were set up as bizarre, cruel, and often downright depraved experiments, with only a few "control" vaults that operated as advertised. In your case, you new home - Vault 111 - was a cryogenic freezing facility, and you, along with your family and neighbors, were frozen inside a pod.
An indeterminate time later, you awaken, still sealed in your pod, and witness your spouse being murdered and your son kidnapped. There's nothing you can do, and soon, the mystery kidnappers put you back on ice.
After yet another indeterminate period, you awaken again, only this time your pod is unsealed. Everyone else in Vault 111 is dead. You manage to find your way to the surface, still a blasted wasteland, and set out to find your son and avenge the death of your spouse.
It is 2287, 210 years since the bombs dropped and you were sealed away. Everyone you knew is dead, everything you knew is destroyed. Your home, the Commonwealth - the area in and around the city of Boston, Massachusetts - is unrecognizable from what it once was.
Welcome to Fallout.
Factions
As you explore the wasteland in search of your son, you will come across various factions and settlements, and depending on how you react to them, they will help or hinder your progress.
The Minutemen
Chances are, the first friendly faces you come across will belong to the Minutemen, or what's left of them. Once a proud militia that would defend any of the small settlements dotted around the Commonwealth at the drop of a hat, they were betrayed, broken, and now number fewer than half a dozen. Dispirited and on the verge of disbanding entirely, they wander from place to place, trying to find a permanent home. You find them trapped in the ruins of an old museum, pinned down by vicous Raiders. Help them rebuild themselves and reconnect the Commonwealth, one settlement at a time.
The Brotherhood Of Steel
In the aftermath of the Great War, the Brotherhood Of Steel (BoS) emerged from what was left of the United States Army. As such, they were always well-equipped, in particular those soldiers patrolling in their signature, hulking, suits of powered armour. They grew to realize that technology was humanity's downfall, and thus, they set out to strip the world of all technology, and hoard it for themselves, to help them better protect civilians from the threats of mutants, ghouls, and raiders - and to keep the world from destroying itself again. A powerful ally, for sure, but are you comfortable with their world view?
The Institute
The Institute are the Commonwealth's boogeyman, suspected but never proved to be behind the abduction - and replacement - of countless people. The Institute has perfected the Synth - an android, a synthetic human being, that latest generation being practically indistinguishable from the real thing. Suspicion is everywhere. Your neighbor might be a Synth, and you'd never know it. But what do the Institute really want? How do you find them? Are they, perhaps, responsible for your son's kidnapping? Uncover them, help them, and you might just find out.
The Railroad
Synths are slaves, or so the Railroad would have you believe. The Institute controls them, can shut them down with a simple code word, and they appear to have little or no free will. Yet they do exhibit the capacity for free will, and as such, they must be freed completely. The Railroad, themselves secretive and hard to find, help spirit Synths away from the Commonwealth. Naturally the Institute disagree, and the Brotherhood Of Steel are most definitely opposed to the proliferation of such advanced technology. Helping the Railroad is dangerous, but it might end up being the best way to be reunited with your son - if he's still alive.
Other Groups
Raiders
Raiders are violent, anarachic, criminal gangs who steal, maim, kill, and pillage anything and anyone. They're everywhere, and typically shoot first, shoot second, and keep on shooting.
Ghouls
Ghouls are horrendously irradiated humans, who, instead of being killed by the radiation, have their lifespans increased dramatically. There are, indeed, ghouls alive who were born before the Great War. Since their appearance is, well, ghoulish, they tend to be shunned by regular humans, and will usually stick together in communities such as Goodneighbor and The Slog. The Brotherhood Of Steel don't distinguish between sentient ghouls and their feral cousins (see below), which leads to significant tension and usually a one-sided fight.
Feral Ghouls
Ghouls whose brains have been gradually eroded to the point that they're little more than animals, operating on instinct, and attacking anything on sight - except, strangely, non-feral ghouls, who they will typically leave alone. They hunt in packs, and are surprisingly fast especially up close. Keep them at a distance and pick them off one by one.
Super Mutants
The result of experiments to create super-soldiers, Super Mutants - of which there are many different origins and strains across the United States - are hulking green brutes of limited intellect whose primary aim is the domination of all lesser species. While they definitely pack a punch up close, they can operate heavy weapons, too, and be particularly aware of Suiciders: mutants carrying primed tactical nuclear weapons. You do NOT want one of those guys to score a "touchdown" anywhere near you.
The Gunners
One step up from raiders, the Gunners are an organized paramilitary organization who will do anything for anyone, as long as the price is right. They'll also shoot on sight, and are best skirted around unless you like drawn-out firefights with well-equipped opponents.
Wildlife
200 years of irradiation has created new, interesting, and deadly wildlife. Wild dogs and irradiated deer are the least of your problems. Wait 'til you come across a Yao Guai - a mutated bear - wanting to rip out your throat. Insects are no longer a nuisance, more like a threat to life and limb, and enormous to boot. And the name "Deathclaw" says it all, doesn't it?
If you're really interested in in-depth reading, I suggest the Fallout Wikia: http://fallout.wikia.com
That's a lot to get through, though, so here's a briefer guide to the world of Fallout (still pretty lengthy, mind).
(I may work on formatting of this post, and add/move/reorganize stuff, if people want. In particular, a piece about companions.)
General Background
In 2077, after decades of conventional conflict over the Earth's dwindling natural resources, nuclear war erupts - with the USA and China as the principal protagonists. The "war" is predictably swift, with the Earth rapidly reduced to a nuclear wasteland.
You, your spouse, and infant son, are amongst the lucky ones, or so you thought. Shepherded into a secure underground fallout shelter - or "Vault" - you believe you will emerge some years later to help rebuild humanity. You were tricked.
The truth is, most of these "Vaults" were set up as bizarre, cruel, and often downright depraved experiments, with only a few "control" vaults that operated as advertised. In your case, you new home - Vault 111 - was a cryogenic freezing facility, and you, along with your family and neighbors, were frozen inside a pod.
An indeterminate time later, you awaken, still sealed in your pod, and witness your spouse being murdered and your son kidnapped. There's nothing you can do, and soon, the mystery kidnappers put you back on ice.
After yet another indeterminate period, you awaken again, only this time your pod is unsealed. Everyone else in Vault 111 is dead. You manage to find your way to the surface, still a blasted wasteland, and set out to find your son and avenge the death of your spouse.
It is 2287, 210 years since the bombs dropped and you were sealed away. Everyone you knew is dead, everything you knew is destroyed. Your home, the Commonwealth - the area in and around the city of Boston, Massachusetts - is unrecognizable from what it once was.
Welcome to Fallout.
Factions
As you explore the wasteland in search of your son, you will come across various factions and settlements, and depending on how you react to them, they will help or hinder your progress.
The Minutemen
Chances are, the first friendly faces you come across will belong to the Minutemen, or what's left of them. Once a proud militia that would defend any of the small settlements dotted around the Commonwealth at the drop of a hat, they were betrayed, broken, and now number fewer than half a dozen. Dispirited and on the verge of disbanding entirely, they wander from place to place, trying to find a permanent home. You find them trapped in the ruins of an old museum, pinned down by vicous Raiders. Help them rebuild themselves and reconnect the Commonwealth, one settlement at a time.
The Brotherhood Of Steel
In the aftermath of the Great War, the Brotherhood Of Steel (BoS) emerged from what was left of the United States Army. As such, they were always well-equipped, in particular those soldiers patrolling in their signature, hulking, suits of powered armour. They grew to realize that technology was humanity's downfall, and thus, they set out to strip the world of all technology, and hoard it for themselves, to help them better protect civilians from the threats of mutants, ghouls, and raiders - and to keep the world from destroying itself again. A powerful ally, for sure, but are you comfortable with their world view?
The Institute
The Institute are the Commonwealth's boogeyman, suspected but never proved to be behind the abduction - and replacement - of countless people. The Institute has perfected the Synth - an android, a synthetic human being, that latest generation being practically indistinguishable from the real thing. Suspicion is everywhere. Your neighbor might be a Synth, and you'd never know it. But what do the Institute really want? How do you find them? Are they, perhaps, responsible for your son's kidnapping? Uncover them, help them, and you might just find out.
The Railroad
Synths are slaves, or so the Railroad would have you believe. The Institute controls them, can shut them down with a simple code word, and they appear to have little or no free will. Yet they do exhibit the capacity for free will, and as such, they must be freed completely. The Railroad, themselves secretive and hard to find, help spirit Synths away from the Commonwealth. Naturally the Institute disagree, and the Brotherhood Of Steel are most definitely opposed to the proliferation of such advanced technology. Helping the Railroad is dangerous, but it might end up being the best way to be reunited with your son - if he's still alive.
Other Groups
Raiders
Raiders are violent, anarachic, criminal gangs who steal, maim, kill, and pillage anything and anyone. They're everywhere, and typically shoot first, shoot second, and keep on shooting.
Ghouls
Ghouls are horrendously irradiated humans, who, instead of being killed by the radiation, have their lifespans increased dramatically. There are, indeed, ghouls alive who were born before the Great War. Since their appearance is, well, ghoulish, they tend to be shunned by regular humans, and will usually stick together in communities such as Goodneighbor and The Slog. The Brotherhood Of Steel don't distinguish between sentient ghouls and their feral cousins (see below), which leads to significant tension and usually a one-sided fight.
Feral Ghouls
Ghouls whose brains have been gradually eroded to the point that they're little more than animals, operating on instinct, and attacking anything on sight - except, strangely, non-feral ghouls, who they will typically leave alone. They hunt in packs, and are surprisingly fast especially up close. Keep them at a distance and pick them off one by one.
Super Mutants
The result of experiments to create super-soldiers, Super Mutants - of which there are many different origins and strains across the United States - are hulking green brutes of limited intellect whose primary aim is the domination of all lesser species. While they definitely pack a punch up close, they can operate heavy weapons, too, and be particularly aware of Suiciders: mutants carrying primed tactical nuclear weapons. You do NOT want one of those guys to score a "touchdown" anywhere near you.
The Gunners
One step up from raiders, the Gunners are an organized paramilitary organization who will do anything for anyone, as long as the price is right. They'll also shoot on sight, and are best skirted around unless you like drawn-out firefights with well-equipped opponents.
Wildlife
200 years of irradiation has created new, interesting, and deadly wildlife. Wild dogs and irradiated deer are the least of your problems. Wait 'til you come across a Yao Guai - a mutated bear - wanting to rip out your throat. Insects are no longer a nuisance, more like a threat to life and limb, and enormous to boot. And the name "Deathclaw" says it all, doesn't it?
