Fallout Wiki
Advertisement
Fallout Wiki

Albert's strength lies in his ability to communicate. He's a good negotiator, and people often believe what he says, no matter how outrageous it might be. In an earlier age, he would have been either a con artist or a lawyer.Fallout Official Survival Guide p.14

Albert Cole (VID 208-206-49-227)[1] is an inhabitant of Vault 13 in 2161 and one of the three pre-made player characters available during character creation at the beginning of Fallout. He is designed to provide a diplomatic, as opposed to a combative or stealthy, approach to solving the central conflict in the game: the Master.

Background[]

Cole is a master of persuasion, often able to convince others to see matters his way. He is dedicated to being a negotiator, mediating between different parties, and even professes an occupation that would be known before the Great War as a lawyer. He is also a charismatic leader of a small, but vocal group of dwellers advocating for leaving the Vault and living outside.[1][Non-game 2]

Notes[]

  • A render depicting the Vault Dweller in the Vault Dweller's Survival Guide bears a strong resemblance to Albert Cole.
    VDSG Section 3
    • The magazine ad for Fallout also depicts the Vault Dweller as bearing a resemblance to Cole. The illustration was produced by a contracted artist without input from developers.
  • Old FO1 ad
    In preview screenshots for Fallout 3, the player character was named Albert, an allusion to Albert Cole.
    • The list of names Codsworth will say out loud includes "Cole," but not "Albert."
  • In Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, an aging man sometimes called "the Vault Dweller" appears at the bar in Carbon, and can be unlocked as a playable character. His given background comports with the life of the Vault Dweller, and his ownership of the Vault 13 flask evidences his identity as the player character from Fallout.[2] The old man plausibly resembles Albert Cole.

Appearances[]

Albert Cole appears only in Fallout.

Behind the scenes[]

  • The name of Albert may be a reference to the post-apocalyptic novel by Harlan Ellison, A Boy and his Dog. The dog in question is psionically-gifted, and often calls the boy "Albert" despite this not being his real name.
  • Troika Games' Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura features a small quest referencing the main plotline of Fallout. Here, Albert is a magick practitioner from the secluded city of Tulla, sent on a quest to retrieve a water gem for the community. When the player encounters him, he has been cast out of the city, due to the influence the outside world has had upon him during his travels. Fallout creator Tim Cain and co-creators Jason D. Anderson and Leonard Boyarsky were the founders of Troika and primary designers on Arcanum.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Albert Cole's character selection menu
  2. Wasteland stranger: "What's that you've got there, kid? Is that a... a vault 13 flask? Heh. Call me a sentimental old fool, but I'll give you a few caps for it."
    (Wasteland stranger's dialogue)

Non-game

Advertisement