Fallout 3 Content: The Safe

Development Period: August 2015
Solo Project
Engine: Creation Engine
Status: Complete
The Safe is a 5-10 minute content modification that adds a simple story to one of the player's most mundane pieces of equipment: Their 200 year old wrist-computer and where it's been before. The story plays out over a few combat encounters in the D.C. Ruins.

Conceptualised, written and developed over three weekends, the Safe began as an excercise to rapidly design, develop and complete a level containing all staple elements of a Fallout 3 area, through the process I expanded to include quest design and weapon design, it was subsequently polished over a fourth weekend.

I used Fallout 3's Creation Kit and for the first time developed an exterior using Bethesda's toolkit. I learned more on its modular kit, kitbashing, lighting, decor building, weapon systems, and scripting dialogue using the computer-terminal system.

Overview of Design Process:

Contains a written report and imagery on the level design of the Safe
Contains a summary of how I hacked together a new mortar gun in 2015

Media:

Download level:
The Safe: Version 1.5.3
File Size: 376 kb
File Type: esp
Download File
Requires Fallout 3 to play.
No DLC are required.
See instructions below on how to play

The latest version is accessible from the Wasteland, as well as cheats.

Responsibilities included:

Level Design
  • Sketching/Greyboxing
  • Lighting
    • Drawing the eye / Signposting
    • Creating exaggerated silhouttes of the enemy
  • Loot placement
    • Enough medkits for low level players to manage
    • Stocking the player early with materials needed to use the new recipe for mortar rounds later.
  • Encounter & AI implementation
    • Creating stealth pathes
    • Sniper nests
    • Meaningful choice between ways to attack the enemy, and environmental hazards to avoid or use.
Quest Design
  • Mission Scripting
    • Blend between Visual Scripting & Papyrus-script
    • Scripting/Writing computer-terminal 'dialogue'
  • Story writing
    • Delivered through paper and terminals to avoid the need for voice-acting
    • Largely implicit to leave to player's imagination
    • Environmnetal storytelling on current events and two decades ago.
Weapon Design
  • Conceptualised two new weapons
    • Hip-Fired Mortar Gun
    • High firing rate assault rifle
  • Iterated weapons for fun first
    • Rifle DPS to be noticably different from other assault rifles so as to feel unique
    • Rifle firing rate increase  to feel empowering
    • Rifle Ammunition consumption be noticable but not crippling
    • Mortar firing arc feel comprehensible
    • Mortar Shell Explosions big enough to light up in the distance and deal damage, but not come across as comical
    • Mortar reloading time/frequency not come across as repetitive
  • Create unique ammo types and craftable ammunition
    • Balancing component value with ammunition reward
    • Having the components make intrinsic sense in construction
  • Balancing between fun and fair

Installation & Play instructions:

In order to play the mod please put the TheSafe.esp file into your Fallout 3 Gamedata folder, then enable it on the launcher by accessing "Data Files" and toggling "TheSafe.esp" on.

Data Files does not save on every computer due to a glitch, resulting in a failure to load. To resolve this download the Fallout Mod Manager, which can manage plug-ins for you.
Regular Play
Take any new or existing character to the Vault 101 entrance, and look by the Scenic Overview sign.
QA & Quickplay:
Either load an existing character or stay in the main menu. Then press tilde (~) to access the console.

Enter the code: COC SafeStart
You will now load my QA room with your existing or new level 1 character!

Grab your equipment, rapidly level up and exit when you are ready to experience: The Safe.