Fallout

ALT An image of a Vault door with the text: What goes into designing the tutorial/opening area and how has it varied between games? Asked by redleaf777

ALT Emil Pagliarulo, Design Director Well, that does differ significantly by IP - Fallout, Elder Scrolls and Starfield tend to be very different. With Elder Scrolls, it's a tradition/convention that you're always a prisoner of some kind with an undetermined past. For our Fallout games, you start the game after leaving a vault (either you grew up there or ended up there for some reason). And for Starfield, we introduced Backgrounds, because we wanted you to be able to determine your own backstory. Regardless of the game, these beginning segments are always critically important, and one of the first things we talk about. And they've also always been something Todd Howard himself is very involved in determining. Beyond the connection of "always starting in jail," the conversations about character generation and the opening gameplay beats happen very, very early in the process of developing an Elder Scrolls game.

ALT These are events that are unique to each game and each story, and as such can also have a significant impact on the rest of the experience. For example, in Oblivion, you wake up in a cell across from an obnoxious Dunmer prisoner named Valen Dreth, unaware at the time that you're going to get a contract to kill that loudmouth jerk later on in the Dark Brotherhood. In Skyrim, you're in a cart being taken to your execution, accompanied by none other than Ulfric Stormcloak, who you later learn is critical to both the main quest and ongoing civil war. In some ways, this is a great example of the way we build our games. Because, fundamentally, we're creating worlds. And those worlds have events - many of which involve the player - that have a continuing resonance and even importance long over those actual events have ended. One isolated event - especially in the early moments - can have rippling effects far into the rest of the game.

ALT An image of various Bethesda Game Studios characters with the text: Which Bethesda Game Studios game have you played the most? Asked by The15thProfessor

ALT Katiya Goodman, Technical Producer Fallout 4! I will never forget the sound of the Vault 111 door opening for the first time and seeing the aftermath of the opening sequence.

ALT Ryan Fox, Producer Fallout 76. Nearing 7600 hours.

ALT Martin Pietras, Principal Texture Artist Easily The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. When it came out, I was in a commercial art program, that had a large computer lab in the back. A couple of us installed the game on the computers and played non stop during classes. This is probably why I'm in the industry today.

ALT A group of Bethesda Game Studios and creators celebrating the Texas Stars Win!

ALT Vault Boy bobble head near the ice

ALT Fallout Night Jerseys