Detour in a Ruined World
Let's talk about Fallout.
The Fallout television series debuts in April. As someone who worked on Fallout 3 and 4, I’m thinking that now is be the time to tell my story.
“But Jonah,” you say, “don’t you have more important work to do, like making Quiet: Level One?”
The answer, of course, is yes (and don’t worry, I won’t tell my story today).
I’ve spent the last week working on a Fallout-themed YouTube video, but I swear to you, I’m been doing it in service of Quiet.
You see, in a few months I’ll launch a Kickstarter, and for this Kickstarter to succeed, I’ll need as many eyes as I can possibly get. To that end, it would be best for me to do something timely (the internet loves timely things).
So, I’m taking a week off from the production of Quiet to the production of this video… which should, in turn, draw more attention to Quiet.
I know - social media is weird.
So today’s article is very brief, being a run-down of what my video will cover. But first, a primer:
Fallout was a beloved gaming franchise that launched in 1997. It drew inspiration from such post-apocalyptic cult classics as “A Boy and his Dog” (:53) and “Mad Max,” while at the same time imbuing its universe with a unique futuristic 1950’s aesthetic. In this universe, Eisenhower never warned the American public about the dangers of the military industrial complex, and the US gave in to Jingoism and commercialization. They put nuclear reactors in cars, and filled their homes with military grade robots… you know, to help make the pancakes.
And in the very midst of this escalating cold-war, a sinister corporation called Vault-Tec began building underground bunkers, to ensure the future of - not just mankind, but more importantly - Amurica.
Here’s the trailer for the show:
I worked on Fallout 3 & 4 (2008 and 2015) as a Character Artist with a specialty in creature design, so that’s what I’ll focus on in the video. We’ll talk about my conceptual process, the 3D pipeline, and the exact thinking behind all the creatures I made. Along the way, I’ll show off lots of concept art (drawn by the late, great Adam Adamowicz, who I wrote about in Kotaku 8 years ago), share some behind-the-scenes work, and generally talk about what it was like to be involved with the franchise.
In writing the script, I’m trying to answer as many questions as I can - I even asked my Instagram audience what they’d like me to cover:
Oh, and I’m going to talk about the Deathclaw. A lot. Because it’s the best 3D monster I’ve ever made, and I’m really hoping that we see it in the show.
So that’s it - that’s what I’m working on this week! It’s a pretty long video, and there’s a lot of media to organize, but I’m nearing the end of the script.
And to be honest, I’ve welcomed this brief reprieve. I think about Quiet all the time, and these next four months will be jam-packed with it. It’s good to take a minute (or a week) to kick back and tell a story that I’ve wanted to share with the world for years. I only hope people enjoy it… and that they stick around for what comes next.
Happy 2024!
Jonah
Next week: Thread-Cutter, the root of all evil!
Fantastic post 🤘🏻 ...and I love the signed Deathclaw picture!
Might be just my imagination but that first Deathclaw concept and Diablo (the monster) seem to have a lot in common when it comes to looks.