Post-apocalypse is one of the possible options for the future of mankind, especially since weapons capable of destroying the existing civilization have long been created. The threat of nuclear war has existed since the creation and use of the atomic bomb. A world similar to Fallout may well await us in the future.

No more dungeons and dragons

Role-playing game worlds were firmly associated with fantasy. On both sides of the ocean came out a huge number of projects in various fictional worlds of elves, hobbits, dwarves and other bizarre creatures. And the slaying of monsters was done mostly with medieval weapons and magic. This approach gave a lot of room for creativity and an already ready consumer of such products.

But what would happen if instead of orcs they made huge mutants, instead of magic they used energy weapons, and instead of dungeons – scorched wasteland? To dilute it all with complete freedom, danger around every corner, cynicism and black humor. Yes, and the action will take place in a world after a nuclear war. In general, the theme of post-apocalyptic has been in games before. For example, there was already the Dark Sun setting (about the apocalypse in a fantasy world) and Wasteland from the same Interplay.

First playthrough

The strongest impression of computer games usually gives their first pass. But the “passed and forgotten” is not about Fallout. After the destruction of the Cathedral and the base of mutants usually create a new character and start the game all over again. It is quite possible that the subsequent passes will give much more emotions than the first. The game makes you come back to your world again and again. The world of the game is interesting to explore, and all the important events and quests should be kept in mind.

Glow. The first visit to this location caused the game to load from the last save after the asylum seeker received a lethal dose of radiation. Probably the most impressive location in the game, filled with mystery and danger.

Interesting computer

Necropolis. The city of gools crushed by its atmosphere and resembled a ghetto. Isolated from the rest of the world, formerly human beings drag out a miserable existence in a dying city. And of course there is one of the best NPC’s in the history of RPG’s – mutant Harry.
He is simply beautiful.

Brotherhood of Steel. Before Fallout I was not yet familiar with the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The paladins of the Brotherhood in power armor and with miniguns in their hands were very impressive. At the time, we were all under the impression of Terminator 2 and Predator, so the opportunity to shoot with a six-barreled machine gun myself seemed like something outrageously cool.

Mutant Base. Another location that left a lasting impression. On the first visit, a mutant from the shelter usually split into two parts by the field of a laser rifle shot. The super mutant at the entrance quickly made it clear that this is still too early. And after all, the game had no autoleveling or any plot limitations. I upgraded, found a cooler gun, and easily blew the head off any mutant.

Asylum 13. The Sanctuary itself was not particularly memorable. But the value of this location was different. After walking around the wastelands and seeing the real world there, we would return to this closed society. And the problems of the asylum’s inhabitants, living in a clean and safe place, seemed like trivialities and nonsense. That’s how it is in real life. The hungry man never understands the hungry man.

So he should

Excitement. And what the game gave the feeling of pumping. If at the beginning of the hero could miss rats at point-blank range, then at level 21 quietly took out all the brotherhood of steel without prejudice to themselves (although no one canceled the screams). After all, how nice to make a pathetic rookie a real machine of death. The game even provides a special place to quickly raise the level. This is where the claws of death are respawned. And all of this did not force you to spend 100 million hours and half a lifetime on the game. The game is quietly passed and without the additional stuffing experience.

When first passing you do not know how important this or that parameter SPECIAL, and therefore begin to mold the character as you would like to see themselves in the game itself. For example:

• Strength 10.
• Perception 4
• Stamina 10
• Charisma 2
• Intelligence 6
• Dexterity 10
• Luck 5

Skills also increased at random: immediately swing heavy weapons and melee, trade, gambling, and always theft. In general, the first thing to clean the pockets of all NPCs. Then I had to roam the wastelands to raise the repair skill. You have to repair power armor, after all.

I’ll be strong and healthy

Such a character is easy to pass the game, but you can miss a lot of interesting moments and random encounters. By the way, has anyone played as a ready-made characters?

Important! The game can be continued after its completion, though with the help of cheats. Do 99 action points in the editor of saved, kill the keeper to talk and run out on the world map until the fight ended. Then you can always come to him on the third level of the asylum and watch the credits after the conversation.

The game even has an alternate ending and even a whole video. Mutants take over Refuge 13 and the hero is lowered into a vat of green slop.

Second and subsequent playthroughs

This is where the time for experimentation began. At first, of course, I wanted to create the strongest possible character. The parameter of power no longer seems so necessary, perception becomes an important parameter, you don’t have to bother with stamina, charisma remains a two, intellect and dexterity must be 10, whatever is left for good luck.

Then there is a desire to try to play for a non-combatant character. Charisma and intelligence is 10, the rest is optional. You can also make lucky 10, then there is a very high chance of finding an alien blaster at the beginning of the game. And the passage will not be so peaceful.

The most munchkin way would be to create a character under the subsequent increase in parameters in the brotherhood of steel for the roof (everything except charisma and luck). How many unfortunate supermutants have been killed and bamboozled in order to make the asylum seeker a little stronger.

Munchkin variant

In general, the game does not force to create an ultimatum build. Perks you can take any to your liking, even the most useless. For successful passing this does not matter. Everything here is made exclusively for the fan.

A real boon for the developers – special encounters. Contains various references to other works of fiction. Very well dilute the wandering around the map and stimulates to do so. For example, the corpse of an alien with a portrait of Elvis suggests the real purpose of the visit to our planet. Apparently fans. The game is full of all sorts of references and Easter eggs.

Turn-based Combats

Turn-based combat allows you to carefully plan your next moves. This allows you to savor every shot and its consequences, and the system of critical hits adds excitement. You subconsciously expect a hit from every shot.

The aiming mechanics adds to the excitement. It is more difficult to hit the opponent in the head or eyes than when shooting the torso. But it can stun or blind the enemy. Shooting the groin or brahmin in the udder has always been a source of genuine joy and satisfaction in the game.

Sanctuaries

The country began to build and most importantly sell all sorts of personal bunkers and shelters. By the way, this trend has persisted to this day. The Internet is full of information about the whole underground hotels. The main thing is that for every taste and every budget.

Cruelty and doom

When I was shown Fallout by a friend in 1997, the first thing he did was set up a massacre in one of the cities. The spritely little people were being blown to bits of blood by a minigun round. It was then that this game became the most beloved, and remains so to this day. The unique animation of death for each type of weapon literally made you immediately check out every gun you found, and the gunshot sounds added to the sensation of firing.

Particularly pleasing was the spread of the automatic weapons, which made it possible to kill several opponents in a single burst. I would like to highlight a few of the most significant:

• Laser Gatling – the best automatic weapon;
• The Minigun, an ultimatum weapon against unprotected targets;
• Flamethrower – the funniest death animation;
• Grenade launcher – just the funniest bubaha;
• Laser Rifle – pretty powerful weapon in the first part of Fallout;
• Plasma rifle and its improved version – the best weapon in the game;
• Alien Blaster – the main thing to find at the beginning of the game. Then there will be no problem.

Energy weapons are the most powerful in the game

But the brutality of this world is not just about brutal murders. The world of the game offers no hope of restoring civilization. Society is split into separate factions and settlements. In many human settlements, criminality reigns, and various factions divide spheres of influence. A person’s life is worthless here.

The ending of Fallout offered no hope for a bright future. The hero was cast out of the asylum. The destruction of the Overlord and his army only saved the remnants of humanity from total annihilation, but the prospects are still hazy. And the fate of the settlements depends entirely on the actions of the player.

Mark Morgan’s ambient music creates an oppressive and gloomy atmosphere in the game. This is the kind of music you can listen to in the player.

Is it possible to scold the game?

Yes, you can, of course. The partner system does not hold up to criticism. Skills: “Trading, gambling and first aid” – virtually useless. Skills cold weapons and melee could not be separated. Many perks and additional features are frankly unnecessary. But nevertheless they help describe the character and add to the game fan.

Time limit on the search for water filter frankly annoying, and does not immediately enjoy exploring the world. In 1997, there were no guides and walkthroughs on YouTube, so it was easy to not have time. There are mods that remove the restriction.

Imagination

What I love about old games is that they actively put the imagination to work. Fallout, on the other hand, was able to draw an entire world in my head. I was so impressed by what I saw in the game that I molded the paladins of the Brotherhood of Steel and the weapons from the game out of plasticine. I got my own PC only in 2002, so I had to make do with improvised means.

All subsequent PC role-playing games were compared exclusively to Fallout. The game set a personal bar for quality and still holds it steadily to this day.

Conclusions

The game has spawned many imitators and clones, but no one has been able to surpass the original. If anyone has not yet played, it is urgent to begin to join the classics.