First details on Fallout 3: The Pitt

[Dark Drakan]

First details on Fallout 3: The Pitt

The first info on the 2nd piece of Bethesdas Epic RPG Fallout 3 has been revealed:

The Pitt takes place in Pittsburgh's steel-making industrial district, described by OXM as a "stunning dystopia that's unlike any other area in Fallout 3's world".

The Pitt consists of a large 'dungeon' area, an abandoned steel yard, as well as a settlement divided into two halves; Downtown, occupied by slaves, and Haven occupied by their masters.

For the first time players will be able to interact with Raiders other than by fighting them, says the mag, and one major quest has you taking on the role of a slave, investigating rumours that the Raider boss has found a cure for mutation.

Side quests and unique items are promised, naturally, including the fearsome-looking Auto Axe, which a bit like a chainsaw crossed with a Black & Decker hedge trimmer.

The Pitt is due for release in March.

 

[Twilight]

Re: First details on Fallout 3: The Pitt

I seriously can't wait for this.

Disappointed it got pushed back a month though.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: First details on Fallout 3: The Pitt

Interview with lead producer, Jeff Gardiner. (spoiler tags as its large interview)

Spoiler

First off can you give us a synopsis of the scenario behind The Pitt?

The Pitt opens with the player encountering an escaped slave from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The slave, Werhner, claims that the leader of 'the Pitt' has created a cure for mutations. Once inside the Pitt the player will take on the role of a Slave - they'll have to find work, and figure out how to gain audience with raider boss.

From there things could start to devolve depending heavily on how the player chooses to proceed. The Pitt is very morally ambiguous - there's no real right or wrong, just choices to be made, sides to be chosen.

It sounds like the plot points - especially the mutation cure - could have massive implications for the Fallout 3 story as a whole?

The outcome of this story could have implications on Fallout lore, but it won't be altering the existing game in that respect.

The Pitt is the first time players are able to interact with the Raiders other than by fighting. What situations does that bring?

The designers have spent a lot of time crafting the Raider culture into The Pitt. You'll be able to watch them deal with their slaves, each other and interact with them in the same way you'd be interact with other settlements throughout Fallout 3. Depending on the decisions made throughout the quest the whole hierarchy of the Raider camp in Pittsburgh can be irrevocable altered.

You've hinted that there'll be plenty of player choices in The Pitt. Are those difficult to work in to a DLC add-on with the man hours required?

It requires a lot of testing and iteration, but its well worth the effort. As long as a sound plan and framework are in place from the outset, you can mitigate problems despite such a short work schedule.

There was a lot of criticism that the last DLC pack was shooting-heavy and didn't delve deep into the RPG elements. How does The Pitt respond to that?

The Pitt is a more traditional Fallout 3 style quest. There are characters to befriend or betray, and a city as thick with mystery as it is with smog.

How do you take aboard fan requests and feedback for the add-ons? How do you balance that?

We value or fans and their feedback highly, and read and consider their suggestions. That being said, we like to make games that we'd ourselves like to play, so we follow our own instincts as to what is right for our game.

Visually, the Pitt looks spectacular. How have you gone about making it unique from the other Fallout 3 locales?

We've had the luxury of a lot of our artists' time on this. Several members of our staff are former residents of Pittsburgh, so they took inspiration from personal experience and crafted everything out of a sense of pride.

Since Pittsburgh wasn't directly hit in the war, its buildings are more or less still standing, but decayed. This allowed us to play with both architecture and colour palates. The addition of the Raiders and their penchant for hanging corpses and graffiti has added a lot to the visuals as well.

A lot of Fallout 3 players are going to be powered up and headshotting mutants left, right and centre by the time The Pitt arrives. How will you make it challenging for end-game players who are all powered up?

We've opted to make sure anyone who purchases this DLC will be able to enjoy it at any level. Players who come in with guns skill maxed at level 20 will find Raiders a bit more difficult then what they're used to encountering wandering the wastes. Not to mention the new enemies, Trogs, like to hunt in large packs!

What new perks are planned for the pack?

There are three new perks shipping with The Pitt. One of them increases a player's effectiveness with one of the new weapons - the Auto Axe. Another, called Booster Shot, is related to the rumoured cure existing that can be found inside the city.

The Auto Axe looks gruesome. What other interesting weapons and additions can you talk about?

There are lots of new versions of raider armour available. Another new weapon is entitled 'The Infiltrator'.

Sounds painful.

It's a scoped, silenced assault rifle. I'm a big fan of playing sneaky, evil characters - this weapon is just perfect for that type of gameplay.

Looking ahead what are your plans for the next add-on, Broken Steel? How will it differentiate from the other two packs?

Broken Steel is going to change the ending of the Fallout 3 main quest - now the player will be able to see the outcomes of their final decisions and follow through on their plans for once and all, be it for good or ill. It's also increasing the level cap to 30 and adding a bevy of new monsters and high-powered weaponry.

We'd be interested to know what you thought of GTA IV: Lost and Damned, and whether its almost full-game scale set-up interests you?

We've done full scale 'episode' set-ups in the past; we shipped Shivering Isles for Oblivion and several larger expansions for Morrowind as well. We never rule them out, but our focus on the first three DLCs for Fallout 3 have been more medium-sized add-ons.

Lastly, how should us critics be reviewing this kind of DLC?

However you want! As long as the price and relevant scope are kept in mind, we enjoy reading what others think of our work.

 

[Dentie]

Re: First details on Fallout 3: The Pitt

oooh nice +rep

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: First details on Fallout 3: The Pitt

First shots of the new DLC also:

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

Re: First details on Fallout 3: The Pitt

very nice! my only beef with it is the irony of an 'anarchist society'...unless i'm the only one who thinks of the raiders as anarchists