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The Art of Fallout 4 is an art book accompanying Fallout 4.

Contents[]

The Art of Fallout 4 has 368 pages and features never before seen designs and concept art from the game's environments, characters, weapons, and more, along with commentary from the developers themselves. It was made available on December 22, 2015.[1]

Gallery[]

Environmental[]

Apparel[]

Characters[]

Creatures[]

Robots[]

Weapons[]

Vehicles[]

Miscellaneous[]

Illustration[]

Transcripts[]

The following are excerpts from the book:

Pre-production[]

page 10

Chapter 1 PREPRODUCTION
Transcript

FALLOUT 4 STARTED SOON after the last DLC for Fallout 3 was finished. We toyed with ideas for the location, story, and themes, and then the art development started in earnest in late 2009. Even though the game would evolve over the following years, we knew from the very beginning what the essential elements were.

In 2004, when we started working on Fallout 3, the first asset we made was the power armor helmet. As the primary image on the box cover, the helmet is an iconic element of the series, and it seemed like a great place to start. Redesigning the classic power armor was a useful exercise in finding a balance between staying true to the original game's vibe and introducing a fresh aesthetic for the new game. We took this same approach for Fallout 4. This time the armor was to be bigger, more imposing, more realistic, and fully functional. We would continue to use this approach as we designed all the aspects of the game.

As we gradually rolled into full preproduction mode, our ace concept team started drawing. Our next design was the Vault suit. In contrast to the utilitarian jumpsuit of Vault 101, Vault 111's cryopods called for a form-fitting suit with a more sci-fi-style design that also called to mind the original Vault 13 suit. This is the first example of many where we would look to the classic games for inspiration. Their unique, pulpy sci-fi quality is wholly original in the post-apocalyptic genre, and Fallout 4 needed a distinct look to make it a definitive Fallout game.

A big part of this reset was a new approach to the game's atmosphere and color design. Fallout 3 made a strong visual statement with a heavily controlled palette and moody art design that conveyed the bleakness of the world. This oppressive atmosphere can take its toll on a player emotionally, and we wanted to move past a story about the despair of barely surviving to one of rebuilding and looking to the future of humanity. This called for a dash of optimism, and Fallout 4s approach was to use a more varied palette with vibrant accent colors to create more emotional range. The Wasteland is still bleak and devoid of color, but the manmade elements pop against the landscape. And were we needed to go dark and oppressive, we did, creating even more emotional impact because of the contrast.

page 11

LOGO
Transcript

A very early take on the logo design—just to have something to slap on the front of presentations. We really liked the bulb-lit lightning-bolt logo and kept this feature for the final logo design.

POWER ARMOR
Transcript

Our primary goal with the power armor was to make it feel less like a suit that you'd wear and more like a vehicle you'd operate. this design began as a reimagining of the T-45d, but it was different enough that we dubbed it the T-60. This way we could bring the T-45 back as its own variant. Although the look was settled on early, some details and proportions were revisited when we adapted the power armor to work as a modular system of plates that attached to a standardized endoframe. In this early version, the arms and legs needed more bulk to make room for the operator and the frame.

page 15

VAULT SUIT
Transcript

Creating a skintight costume in bright blue and yellow and not having it come across as goofy looking was a considerable design challenge. We achieved this by focusing on an interesting mix of patterns and textures for the high-tech materials and adding details that grounded the design.

page 16

VAULT SUIT
Transcript

For the iconic yellow stripe, we went with a metallic gold foil that serves as a heat-dissipation strip and works with the biometric sensors integrated in the suit.

page 19

PIP-BOY 3000 MARK IV
Transcript

The third component (after the power armor and the Vault suit) of the Fallout design holy trinity. It was important to nail the look of an object that the player interfaces with constantly. The original take was a militaristic design influenced by army field radios. Although this would have worked well from a practical standpoint, it lacked retro flair. We try to imbue our industrial designs with personality, rounded corners, and softer forms akin to those of the 1950s appliances. The final design was an attempt to strike a balance between realistic functionality and friendliness. And we finally put the knobs on the correct side.

page 20

MACHINE GUN
Transcript

The first gun made for the game. We mainly wanted something beefy that would look right in the power armor's oversized hands. It was also a chance to explore modification and customization. We designed it to allow interchangeable barrels and magazines. At this early stage of the project, we didn't plan on giving the player too many options, but we'd go on to develop a deeper and more flexible system. This particular gun design would later become the assault rifle.

page 22

BOSTON
Transcript

Much of modern-day Boston's skyline consists of buildings that were constructed well after Fallout's timeline diverged from our own. The taller structures that make the city recognizable are too contemporary in their designs. That gave us a blank slate to work with in terms of designing our version of a city of tomorrow. The older historical aspects of the city were retained for authenticity, but we wanted to layer them with some futuristic architecture, as this is a type of environment that hasn't been explored yet in the Fallout universe. As you can see in these early concepts, we explored some pretty far-out ideas for just how built up and evolved our version of Boston would be. We ended up with a more balanced approach—something that felt different but was still a grounded and relatable metropolis.

page 28

DIAMOND CITY
Transcript

The first city we built served as a designers' test bed for various gameplay systems. We wanted it to be a lively, bustling place that blended the best qualities of Megaton and Rivet City.

page 30

DIAMOND CITY COLOR STUDIES
Transcript

We tried to avoid adding too much cinematic color grading to the game so we could have a richer and more vibrant look. We explored different palettes to find the right fit for this game.

page 32

CONCORD
Transcript

Our urban area was the small town of Concord, located near Vault 111. This was a key area of our vertical slice—a limited portion of the game that we used to prototype the art, tech, and gameplay. This testing area started with the vault, extended through the town of Sanctuary Hills to the Red Rocket, and ended with a dramatic battle in Concord.

page 42

SKETCHES
Transcript

Some pages from Adam Adamowicz's sketchbook. Adam was the concept artist for Fallout 3, and his unique blend of style and humor set the tone for that game and all that followed. At this very early stage of the project, the ideas are flowing fast. It's important to get as many of them on paper as possible to see what gels. It's also important to keep things loose at this point and not spend too much time on any one idea.

page 50

BLUE SKY STORYBOARDS
Transcript

This series of boards depicted action scenes that explored the types of gameplay we wanted to try. These were the original inspiration for adding jet packs to the game.

World[]

page 54

Chapter 2 WORLD
Transcript

FOR FALLOUT 4 WE SET out to create the richest, densest and most varied and detailed world we'd ever attempted. We set an early goal to have the overland experience be seamless, making our major metropolitan zone, Boston, contiguous with the Wasteland rather than separate from it, as DC was in Fallout 3. This turned out to require significant technical upgrades. The Creation Engine has to be modified in order to handle so many objects an actors compressed into a smaller area. The streets of our Boston are narrow, with many buildings packed together; add in the level of clutter and set depressing we require, and we far surpass the object density we've supported in past games.

In order to make the world feel real, we attempted to avoid cookie-cutter repetition of the environments. Architectural variety is important to depict a world with layers of history and culture that span generations both before and after the Great War. We created a series of modular building subkits in a variety of different architectural styles that could be mixed and matched to create endless structures, each with a unique style and character. These included a colonial brick set, for the base layer of Boston that defines the city's unique vibe; a deco-style set that captured the 1920s-to-1940s flavor that has always been a visual under-current of the Fallout series; and a high-tech futurism set that covered the city's large, modern structures and skyscrapers.

These futuristic tall buildings ad skyscrapers were an opportunity to give our version of Boston a unique look that broke away from the mold of the gray concrete, steel, and glass architecture that is a common visual trope. Thee monolithic, rusty steel-tiled structures painted in bold colors drawn from a 1950s palette contrast sharply with the more grounded historic brownstone architecture of one of the United States' oldest cities. This mashup of old and new results in a rich and electric urban jungle for the player to explore.

Exploration outside of the city is enriched with an evolved visual take on the Wasteland. One of our primary rules for the Fallout universe is that there is no living green plant life that isn't a post nuclear mutation. But unlike the rocky and barren Capital Wasteland, the Commonwealth has a forested, dead but lush wilderness to get lost in. We strove for a late-fall melancholic beauty with an authentic northeast feeling.

page 55

LIBERTALIA
Transcript

A floating settlement made of barges and boats—just the idea is fun.

page 70

GLOWING SEA
Transcript

Whereas the landscape and weather of the Commonwealth were a departure from the visuals of Fallout 3, the Glowing Sea was an opportunity to bring back the classic post-apocalyptic, super-irradiated scorched earth look.

page 76

DOWNTOWN BOSTON
Transcript

We tried to maintain the individual identities of the different districts throughout downtown Boston. We wanted the player to know just by looking around if they were in, say, the Financial District, or Beacon Hill.

page 94

DIAMOND CITY
Transcript

The first settlement built for the game, Diamond City was used as a test bed for out character and quest gameplay systems. It evolved over time as we honed in on the color palette and vibe we wanted.

page 110

SHACKS
Transcript

These early shack drawings became the basis for the shack kit and later the workshop aspect of the game.

page 116

RED ROCKET INTERIOR
Transcript

This image was the inspiration for what later became the key piece of art for the game's marketing campaign, the garage with power armor.

page 125

SUBWAY
Transcript

Although we didn't bring back the elaborate, interconnected subway system of Fallout 3, subways are still an important dungeon location throughout the city.

page 128

THE INSTITUTE
Transcript

Inspired by a Logan's Run—like utopian future society, the Institute has a completely unique design language that's far removed from anything else in the world. There's a singular, cohesive vision that ties together the environment, the technology, and the costumes.

page 132

HOUSE OF TOMORROW
Transcript

This was inspired by the Lustron House, a metal prefabricated house that was briefly available for purchase in the early 1950s.

Characters[]

page 136

Chapter 3 CHARACTERS
Transcript

FALLOUT 4 HAS A VARIETY of factions with unique characters and personalities. Our character-creation system, used by both the player to create his or her persona and the artists to populate the world, had to evolve in order to create realistic and expressive human characters. We focused on adding more detail to the meshes and textures and created a sophisticated performance animation system to support the dynamic dialogue scenes.

Much of the costume design in Fallout is a combination of repurposed prewar clothing and the crazier postwar ensembles that provide each faction with its distinct identity. Prewar clothing is pretty much straight 1950s American fashion: simple, colorful conformity. We had lots of fun enhancing these basic designs by layering on pieces of armor, duct tape, etc., to create the perfect Wastelander getup. People who live in the major settlements, such as Diamond City, have considerably less gear than the groups that roam the Wasteland, and that's also reflected in the level of wear and tear on their costumes.

We introduced a layered-armor system to allow the player to customize their look and to add an element of realistic asymmetry to the outfits. It would be rare to come across a complete suit of metal or combat armor; you're more likely to meet someone who's only managed to find a scrap of leather armor here and a piece of combat armor there and wears it on top of whatever clothing they already had. This concept required "underwear": fairly form-fitting, full-body apparel intended to be worn layered with pieces of armor. The iconic Vault suit and the Brotherhood of Steel underarmor are perfect examples of this.

The Brotherhood in particular have distinctly nomadic and militaristic costumes, with all members being fully equipped at all times for whatever they might encounter. Because of the very specialized nature of the different BoS roles and ranks, this faction probably has the biggest variety of outfits.

Our most memorable characters received custom outfits befitting their personalities. Nick Valentine and Piper are firmly in noir territory, Preston has a getup straight out of the Revolutionary War, and Virgil the super mutant still wears his broken glasses on his nose to retain a bit of humanity. Finding design inspiration from an eclectic mix of genres is one of the things that makes the Fallout universe so fun to work in for an artists.

page 137

PIPER
Transcript

One of the first main characters you meet and your introduction to Diamond City. Her design and personality are meant to evoke a tough, headline-hunting reporter with a noirsh vibe that's in the same vein as Nick Valentine. Her conversation with the mayor outside the city was an early test bed for our conversation system and third-person dialogue cameras.

page 142

MAMA MURPHY
Transcript

Originally she was going to be in a wheelchair, but we soon realized stairs would pose a problem. So we gave her a modified, floating Mr. Handy to use as a seat, because that was, well, awesome. But also a bit distracting. So she ended up being able to walk (she just has to sit down a lot).

page 163

BoS FIELD SCRIBE
Transcript

Field scribes have pockets and packs to contain all the bits of tech they might come across, while science scribes carry their laboratory equipment on their backs.

page 165

BoS UNDERARMOR
Transcript

Form-fitting suit meant to be worn while operating power armor. It has a variety of hard points and attachments for interfacing with a PA frame. This suit isn't necessary for using power armor for short stints, but it facilitates more comfortable long-term use (and has less risk of chafing).

page 176

INSTITUTE UNIFORM
Transcript

For the science types who work in the Institute labs and offices, a new take on the classic lab coat was needed.

Creatures[]

page 190

Chapter 4 CREATURES
Transcript

THE CREATURE DEPARTMENT at Bethesda Game Studios handles all of the nonhuman entities a player might encounter, from enemies and various critters to robots and turrets. When it was time to redesign the creatures that were returning from Fallout 3, we were faced with the challenge of updating the realism and detail of the designs while staying true to the original vision. It's important that these guys feel familiar, even if they're a bit different in execution and fidelity.

There were a few instances where we wanted to take these designs in a slightly different direction from that of the originals, however. When we did this, there was usually a specific reason; it's not something we do casually. For example, the super mutants had a very distinct, aggressive style in Fallout 3, but we wanted to try something that evoked their look from the original games. So we wen with less intense musculature, a more expressive face, subtler skin texture, and different proportions overall. The mirelurks got a bit of a reboot visually, as well as a significant expansion on the variants with the addition of the hunter and the queen. This was simply a case of wanting to try something a bit more animalistic and to move away from the guy-in-a-suit vibe of the original.

In some cases, the 3-D artist would dive right into modeling a creature without any initial concept sketches—going straight into ZBrush and playing around until the creature in the sculpt emerged. This happened early on in the project, with the deathclaw, and later on for a few of the robots, such as the eyebot, the sentry bot, and the assaultron. This approach usually only works when we have a pretty clear sense of where the design needs to go as an evolution of the original idea. And sometimes it's just more fun to find the design in 3-D rather than solving it in 2-D first.

The high-poly renders you see in these pages are used to "bake" the normal maps and diffuse textures used in the game, but often the game models don't fully convey the amount of work that goes into these sculpts. In some respects our artists can go a bit overboard with the amount of detail they put in, especially in the "beneath the shell" components that are only visible if the player shoots off the outer panels or armor. We're including these grayscale renders to reveal this work in all of its obsessive glory.

page 191

BLOODBUG
Transcript

The first insect we designed and built during preproduction was also a chance to prototype flying-creature behavior.

page 193

MIRELURK QUEEN
Transcript

A late-development addition to provide another behemoth-scale enemy for the player to encounter in the open coastal area.

page 194

MIRELURK HUNTER
Transcript

We really needed to include lobsters, given the location.

page 197

MOLE RAT
Transcript

A classic creature and an important one, as it's likely to be one of the player's first enemy encounters.

page 202

BRAHMIN
Transcript

We didn't want to change this guy up much from the last game. Just ended up giving him some fur.

page 211

SYNTH
Transcript

Coming up with a fresh take on the classic android endoskeleton was a fun challenge. We looked at vintage artificial prosthetic limbs for inspiration.

page 227

BERYLLIUM AGITATOR
Transcript

Needed for full operation of Liberty Prime, this device is inserted into his reactor through an outlet in his book.

Weapons[]

page 234

Chapter 5 WEAPONS
Transcript

ONE OF THE CORE Fallout experiences is surviving in the Wasteland through combat, so we set out to give the player a system that allows modification and customization of any weapon in the game. Every gun was designed with modularity in mind. Classic guns, like the plasma and laser rifles, were broken up into interchangeable components. New guns, such as the pipe set, were designed from the ground up to work with this system and provide as much variety and flexibility as possible.

The pipe gun set is the most basic of the ballistic weapons, crudely crafted from various bits of found bolts, metal, and wood. These guns look just as likely to kill the shooter as the target, but they are plentiful in the Wasteland and a favorite of raiders. We used this early set to figure out how we wanted to break a gun down to the basic elements that all guns would share, in order to maximize interchangeability. This drove the structure of the crafting interface, with standardized slots for receiver, barrel, muzzle attachments, grip, and scope. The root identity of any gun is determined by the receiver; everything else can be swapped. This allows the player to go as far as transforming a short-range pistol into a sniper rifle.

Luckily, given the improvised nature of most things in the game's world, weird or unusual gun combinations still look appropriate and fit into the setting. Some of our guns are based on realistic interpretations of well-known, real-life prewar weapons, and therefore their range of customization options is slightly limited. But even in these instances you can substantially change the gun's appearance to achieve some really interesting builds. The base 10 mm, for instance, is a different design from the version in Fallout 3. But with the proper mods, you can transform it into something very similar.

It's not all about the guns, of course. The melee selection was expanded as well, with a eye toward entertaining builds designed to deliver massive (and painful) physical damage. Some of these weapons were initially intended for purposes other than inflicting harm. The power first and super sledge are prewar hardware originally used by construction crews for demolition. But it certainly didn't take much imagination to find alternative uses for them.

page 21

MACHINE GUN
Transcript

The first gun made for the game. We mainly wanted something beefy that would look right in the power armor's hands. It was also a chance to explore the modification and customization. We designed it to allow interchangeable barrels and magazines. At this early stage of the project, we didn't plan on giving the player too many options, but we'd go on to develop a deeper and more flexible system. This particular gun would later become the assault rifle.

page 236

FLAMER
Transcript

We went away from using backpacks for our heavy guns, such as the flamer and the minigun. Although they're realistic given the amount of ammo you'd lug around, the backpacks really limited us in our costume and armor design.

page 236

GAUSS RIFLE
Transcript

A very different design from the version seen in Operation: Anchorage. It uses a series of high-powered capacitors and hypermagnetized coils to propel the projectile.

page 241

PLASMA GUN
Transcript

We considered the designs of the plasma and laser guns from Fallout 3 to be pretty much perfect, so we didn't want to alter them any more than necessary. This was mainly an exercise in adding some fidelity in the detailing and converting to the modular system.

page 245

PIPE GUNS
Transcript

We approached these designs from the point of view of a resourceful Wastelander who knows nothing about guns but is trying to make gun-like contraptions.

page 246

LASER MUSKET
Transcript

This early design is seen as the quintessential Fallout 4 gun. It combines improvised Wasteland ingenuity with advanced prewar technology.

page 247

INSTITUTE BIOWEAPONS
Transcript

An early synth weapon concept that didn't gain traction.

page 247

INSTITUTE LASER GUNS
Transcript

The Institute developed its own laser technology. But because our firing and reloading animations needed to be shared with the standard laser set, this design was based on the same overall positioning for the animation touch points (such as the handle, foregrip, and ammo).

page 250

SHISHKEBAB
Transcript

A more compact version of the original, this uses a potent fuel so you don't have to carry a motorcycle tank around.

page 253

LASER ARTILLERY
Transcript

This massive laser cannon was the original idea for the Minutemen artillery defense at the castle. They ended up with the mortar launcher instead.

Vehicles[]

page 256

Chapter 6 VEHICLES
Transcript

AUTOMOBILES REPRESENT one of our best opportunities to convey a sense of the design style of the world before the war. So much of American culture is expressed through the colorful care and trucks people once drove, and although none of them actually work anymore (and also have a tendency to explode), they're one of the most common elements you'll see as you explore the Wasteland. We spent a fair amount of time designing and creating different vehicles. We needed plenty of variety and wanted to use them frequently as set dressing. Each model had a range of colors and conditions, from rusted-out hulks to fairly intact vehicles with the paint still in good condition. We really liked to add a little style with the use of bright accent colors on the cars and other background pieces. Luckily the space-age ceramic-based paint formulations used in the 2070s were extremely resistant to fading and rust.

The large sedan seen here returns from Fallout 3, along with the classic Fusion Flea, but we also have a host of new vehicles that were late-model designs at the time of the war. The coupe and the sports car have sleek, streamlined styling with rounded cabins and bubble-shaped cockpits. But due to the engineering limitations of the bulky mini reactor engines, the packaging efficiency for most of the vehicles is poor.

Our aircraft designs were revisited for this project as well. Not having a massive crashed airliner in Fallout 3 always felt like a missed opportunity, given the precariousness of being in the air at the moment of nuclear devastation. This time, since an airport is a major location in our world, we envisioned majestic flying-wing jumbo jets as the preferred method of long-distance travel. These started out much, much bigger than what we ended up with in the game, and even still, the plane wreckage is a bit oversized in comparison to the footprint of our airport.

However, one vehicle whose size is both impressive and appropriate is the Prydwen, the only postwar-built airship. We went with a full-on diesel-punk design, combining elements of Zepplins and naval vessels and using mysterious technologies (beyond simple hydrogen) to keep it afloat. Its complement of Vertibirds are of a different variety than the gunships used by the Enclave—better suited to troop transport but modified for deployment from the airship.

page 257

SEDAN
Transcript

A reimagining of the classic two-door Corvega from Fallout 3.

page 259

ZIP
Transcript

Another little bubble car to complement the Fusion Flea. Cars are either huge or tiny in Fallout, a world of extremes.

page 260

SPORTS CAR
Transcript

This was created near the end of the project; we really wanted to get a sleek sports car in there.

page 260

PICK-R-UP TRUCK
Transcript

An American staple. As a one-seater, it is of questionable practicality (there's plenty of room in the bed, though).

page 262

FUSION FLEA
Transcript

A favorite from Fallout 3 returns, inspired by the classic Messerschmitt three-wheeler from 1955.

page 269

AIRSHIP AND GIANT ROBOT ATTACK!
Transcript

This painting was the inspiration for including an airship, as well as the giant robot that later became Liberty Prime.

page 270

VERTIBIRD
Transcript

This design is the result of a goldfish meeting a Hind helicopter. It needed to be bulky to have enough room for power armor units to maneuver inside its cabin.

page 273

TRACTOR
Transcript

There's not a ton of farmland or fields to plow in the fairly dense Wasteland, but tractors have so much personality we made an effort to include one.

page 274

MEGALOADER
Transcript

Designed to be the ultimate construction vehicle, the megaloader is able to take a variety of arm attachments for different work scenarios.

Set dressing[]

page 282

Chapter 7 SET DRESSING
Transcript

THE WORLD OF FALLOUT is a cluttered one. At its most basic level, the set dressing for this game consisted of filling its spaces with all the junk and detritus that would fill a ruined postwar landscape. We try to find the right level of visual density in our scenes to create interesting and aesthetically appealing environments. But the real job is using environmental storytelling to enhance the player's joy of exploration and discovery.

Fallout takes place in an alternate timeline, and although there are many objects the player will find familiar, much of it is just different enough that it needs to be designed from scratch. Sometimes a table is just a table, and certainly there are many tables that look like they're straight out of a vintage furniture catalog. But other times the table is from the future, and that's where we have some fun. We try to maintain a mix of the old, the familiar, the modern, and the futuristic, as that's what you would find in the real world.

It's fairly easy to create fantastical sci-fi designs, but we challenged ourselves to think about how industrial and product design would have evolved in this alternative universe. In general, its prewar industrial design consists of soft forms and light colors that come across as friendly and approachable. Technology was seen as helping humanity and improving lives, so the designs are imbued with optimism and a sense of playfulness.

It's not all pastels and rounded corners, though. The postwar set dressing throughout the Wasteland is rough and rickety. Improvised devices and strictures are built out of scrap metal, wood (lots of wood—no shortage of trees out there), and whatever else people can gather up. This stuff is built by people who are just figuring it out as they go along, so it all looks a little bit off and of questionable functionality.

We broke these rules a bit when it came to designing the technology of the Institute. There needed to be a clear separation here, as their hardware is far advanced over anything else out there. You can see some influence from furniture and computer designs of the 1960s and early '70s, the use of more exotic materials, and a very stark and limited color palette, almost clinical in nature. In fact, were referenced hospital equipment for inspiration. Still, this is Fallout, and there are some limitations on how advanced the tech can get; in certain ways development is quite stunted. You won't find color screens—and certainly no flat-screen technology. Blinking lights and CRTs continue to be the primary interface with technology.

page 289

MR. HANDY BOX AND FUEL CANISTER
Transcript

The fuel canister and packaging for Mr. Handy were created to add a bit of a visual backstory to Codsworth, as he was a recent purchase by the player character's family.

page 291

WORKSHOP WORKBENCHES
Transcript

Crafting is a big part of the game, so we designed a variety of workbenches the player (as well as NPCs) can use to make stuff. These were designed with an eye toward both functionality and the animations that go with the crafting.

page 292

SUPER MUTANT CLUTTER
Transcript

Super mutants like to capture and eat humans. Most of their stuff related to this activity.

page 293

RAIDER CLUTTER
Transcript

Raiders like to capture, torture, and steal from humans and then display what's left of the bodies for others to see. Much of their aesthetic revolves around pain.

page 297

MEMORY POD
Transcript

A new version of the tranquility lounger from Fallout 3. This one has plusher upholstery—far more comfy for those longer sessions.

page 299

CONSOLES
Transcript

We ended up using these computer consoles as much that we decided to build a modular kit in order to get a ton of variety.

page 302

PIP-BOY 1.0
Transcript

Appearing in the intro movie, the very first prototype of the Pip-Boy provides a fascinating look into how technology has developed in the Fallout universe. The level of miniaturization achieved since this version is pretty amazing.

page 306

SONIC SQUIRE
Transcript

Magnolia's custom speaker/amplifier unit, found in the Third Rail.

page 307

GREEBLES
Transcript

Sometimes we just need something to fill a blank wall.

Illustrating[]

page 314

Chapter 8 ILLUSTRATION
Transcript

SOME OF THE MORE FASCINATING aspects of the Fallout universe are the hints of the culture of America's prewar society. We paint this cultural backdrop throughout the world with advertisements, signs, and magazines. The range of unique art styles among our artists provides diversity in the many illustrations. The one guideline we had was to stay with an aesthetic that felt authentically retro, in keeping with the rest of the art made for the game.

Many classic commercial brands return from Fallout 3: Nuka Cola, Red Rocket, Super-Duper Market, etc. Fallout 4's new location introduces a host of new brands, many with a Boston flavor, like Joe's Spuckies. All of these brands advertise heavily, with billboards displayed throughout the city and the Wasteland. The downtown zone in particular contains a large number of ads; the bright colors and visual density of this imagery complement the architecture and add to the chaotic set dressing in this area. Even though this background art is meant to blend into the environment, we hope the players pause as they explore to take in these details.

Beyond advertising, we also paid attention to the signage displayed on storefronts and businesses. The signs range from very classic to modern and futuristic designs and type treatments, depending on the architectural style they're associated with. Level designers often use these to draw players to specific locations.

The magazine covers in particular provided an awesome creative outlet for the team. We started with a proposed list of titles and ideas for what the many magazines would be about and what sort of gameplay bonuses they'd give the player. From here we let the team loose creatively, and they generated well over a hundred covers. A few of the series, such as Astoundingly Awesome Tales and Guns and Bullets, were very much in the vein of pulpy men's magazines popular in the fifties, some of which had some pretty outrageous imagery—our stuff was tame in comparison. The postwar titles, such as Wasteland Survival Guide, are particularly fun: the artist making them has to channel a creatively inclined Wastelander who's passionately scratching these issues out in some rundown shack in between mole rat attacks, like some desperate fanzine artist.

page 315

NUKA-COLA
Transcript

The brand kicked off a new marketing campaign with redesigned rocket ship—shaped bottles. The artist who painted these posters inspired us to remake the bottles in the game with this new design.

page 318

RED ROCKET
Transcript

Red Rocket fuel stations continue to hold a monopoly on the market. While the logo and typeface may evolve, the iconic rocket is a constant design element of the stations.

page 332

MUSEUM OF FREEDOM MURAL
Transcript

Depicts the major historical beats of the Fallout universe. Painted for the museum in Concord, an early location in the game.

page 341

HOT RODDER MAGAZINE
Transcript

The hot rods on these covers were designed for custom paint schemes the player can unlock and apply to their power armor.

References[]

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