Fallout: New California

Fallout: New California
Developer(s)	Radian-Helix Media
Publisher(s)	Radian-Helix Media
Programmer(s)	Brandan Lee Rick Hukkanen Freddie Farnsworth
Series	Fallout
Engine	Gamebryo
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	October 23, 2018 (BETA 200)
Genre(s)	Action role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

Fallout: New California is a fan-made modification and is an unofficial prequel^[1] to the action role-playing video game Fallout: New Vegas, made by Brandan Lee and Radian-Helix Media.^[2] It was released in two installments, with the first installment released on May 31, 2013, and the second installment released as a beta on October 23, 2018.^[3] Originally known as Fallout: Project Brazil, the modification was renamed to Fallout: New California on September 1, 2017.^[4]

In April 2018, the project entered private beta for the second installment.^[5] The public beta for Fallout: New California was released as planned on October 23, 2018.^[6]

Development[]

Project lead Brandan Lee of Radian-Helix Media, LLC^[7] was inspired by the games Fallout and Fallout 2 from Black Isle Studios.^[8][9] With the help of friends in the film, TV, radio, and live theater industries, Lee set out to create a modification of Fallout 3 for people who appreciated the style of the original Black Isle games.^[10] According to Lee, the mod was first conceptualized in 2010, but development didn't begin until 2012, with a prototype being released for Fallout 3, and the first full installment being released for New Vegas.^[11] Lee states that he headed a team of three people, with occasional community donations, who would spend four years creating the modification; eventually ending up with 5,000 lines of dialogue from twenty different actors and three hours of gameplay for the first installment alone.^[12] Lee named the mod "Project Brazil" partly due to inspiration by the Terry Gilliam film Brazil,^[8][13] and as a nod to Black Isle Entertainment through the Irish myth of the mythological island of Brasil.^[14]

90% of Project Brazil's assets for BETA 1.0.0 were created between January 2012 and May 2013, when the story was refined after a year-long break away from the project.^[15] Lee created a worldspace the size of that found in Bethesda's Fallout 3, and wrote the dialog in tandem with level and character design. Freddie Farnsworth joined in January 2013 as lead project technician; applying a global NavMesh, and re-rendering the level of detail mesh on a computer custom built for the task.^[16] In 2017, the project was renamed to Project New California.^[17]

While in development, the final installment promised to expand upon the mod with new quests and factions.^[18] There are over 16,000 lines of dialogue in BETA 200.^[19]

Gameplay[]

Fallout: New California was split into two installments, the first was released in 2013, and the beta for the second installment was released on October 23, 2018. As with Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout: New California has a radio station that comments on the actions of the player as the story progresses.^[20] The radio stations in Fallout: New California debuted with a completely original soundtrack.^[21] The player's S.P.E.C.I.A.L statistics have a greater impact on dialog choices with NPCs and player skills than in Fallout: New Vegas.^[22]

Story[]

Fallout: New California was planned to be broken into three segments but, by December 13, 2013, the third installment was scrapped.^[23] The first installment was released on May 31, 2013, the second installment was released on October 23, 2018. There are 13 possible endings.^[24] The story takes place in 2260, 21 years before the start of Fallout New Vegas.^[25]

First installment[]

The first installment is set in Vault 18 near the San Bernardino mountains at the San Bernardino Cajon Pass,^[26] after the events of Fallout 2. The player can choose to be either a Warrior or a Scientist. It is revealed that one of the prominent members of the vault is part of the Enclave, after which the vault erupts into civil war, with the player being able to side with the Enclave or defend Vault 18. The first installment has around three hours of gameplay, and seven hours including all of the branching content.^[22][27]

In the beginning, the player is selected as a replacement for the "Patriots" team, on the night of the final game of "Vault Ball" for the cup. During the match, the player can choose to Tackle (Path of the Warrior) or Dodge (Path of the Scientist). Depending on the choice, the player is next in Coach Bragg's Office (Tackle), being praised for winning the game and offered a job in the Vault Security, or in the Vault Infirmary (Dodge), waking up from being injured and losing the game, with a broken leg.

After interacting with the residents, the player goes to sleep in the lower levels. Meanwhile, members of the Patriots, radicalized by John Bragg, revealed to be a member of the Enclave alongside his sister, Chevy, the new Vault Security chief, begin an attack, causing an explosion and collapsing parts of the lower levels.

The player wakes up, finding his/her siblings dead.

Second installment[]

The second installment, released on October 23, 2018, focuses on the player dealing with three factions, the New California Republic, a band of raiders called the Survivalists, and the remnants of the Master's army from the original Fallout.^[28]

Reception[]

Project Brazil was ninth on Mod DB's Top Mods of 2013 list.^[29]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website