I’ve always thought that the most rewarding role-playing games are the ones that account for a range of playstyles – everything from your standard claymore stuff to a pebble-only run, if the mood strikes – and Fallout creator Tim Cain agrees. Accommodating diverse player builds is part of what makes the original Fallout game so divinely satisfying.
But trying to predict behavior from a class as wild as the deviant gamer is a difficult task, Cain suggests in a recent YouTube video discussing the topic.
“When we were developing Fallout, there was someone who was playing through it, just shooting every NPC they encountered before they could even talk,” Cain says in the video. “I kind of knew there were people who were going to do this, but it turns out, he broke the game. He broke it with Gizmo in Junktown. He walked into that room, and just shot Gizmo right in the head before he could say a word.
“It literally broke the main story progression,” Cain continues. “Then I had the designers comb through the entire game looking for things like that.”
Their avenging Gizmo was worth it in the end. By having his developers diligently double-check Fallout, Cain could be assured that it ultimately “was not possible to break the main storyline with violence, dialogue, or stealth because I wanted every character build to be able to make it through to the end.”
Including his build for his own character, Potato.
“I played the first low-Int, full playthrough in Fallout,” Cain says. “The character’s name was Potato, and I finished the game with Potato and proved that a one Intelligence character could finish that game. It was hard, because he didn’t get very many skill points – skill points in Fallout depended on your Intelligence.” It’s an inspiring story for me to share with my Elden Ring character Bingie, who might be more intelligent if I hadn’t named her Bingie.
In a recent interview, Fallout creator Tim Cain shared some key playthroughs that have had a lasting impact on the development and legacy of the iconic RPG.
One of these playthroughs involved a character named Potato, a low-Intelligence hero who stumbled his way through the post-apocalyptic wasteland with hilarious and often disastrous results. Despite his limited mental capacity, Potato managed to complete the game in his own unique way, showcasing the game’s flexibility and allowing players to experience the world of Fallout in a completely different light.
Another memorable playthrough Cain mentioned was that of a mass-murderer who made the development team check “the entire game” again. This player’s ruthless and violent actions forced the team to reconsider the consequences of player choices and the impact they could have on the game world. It also highlighted the importance of player agency and the freedom to approach the game in whatever manner they saw fit.
These two playthroughs not only showcase the depth and complexity of Fallout’s gameplay but also highlight the creativity and ingenuity of players in shaping their own unique experiences within the game. As Cain continues to work on new projects and push the boundaries of RPG design, it’s clear that the lessons learned from these memorable playthroughs will continue to influence and inspire the future of the genre.
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Fallout, Tim Cain, RPG history, low-Int hero, Potato, mass-murderer, playthroughs, game development, RPG design, game design, Fallout franchise, character development, game completion, game challenges, game replayability.
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