Fallout, then fall over
I started work on the Official Strategy Guide to Fallout 3 in earnest on May 24th, 2008. We’re currently tidying up the final pages, and cramming every last piece of tactical guidance into both the regular and special limited edition tomes in readiness for an October 28th on-sale date. Water-tight, pain-of-death non-disclosure agreements prevent me from speaking specifically about what went on during the last four months, but I can offer some rather vague information on why I halted an already-truncated social life for the chance of exploring a post-apocalyptic wasteland instead of writing, you know, three “regular” guides.
Firstly, this game is spectacularly big. How big? [CENSORED] Yeah, that big. Just in case that doesn’t get through, I will say our limited-edition strategy guide poster is larger than most coffee tables, that I spent at least a month constructing it, and that it has more locations than [SORRY, MUM'S THE WORD]. When you read interviews with other developers, and they say “there’s weeks of gameplay in this title”, they’re usually lying. But if you’re wanting to explore every nook, cranny, and small wasteland [SPECIFIC SETTLEMENT TITLE REMOVED] out in the middle of a blasted heath, you’ll need to free up a seriously large amount of time; more than mere weeks: [NOPE, CAN'T SAY], in fact. Fortunately, these expeditions can be performed in [A DIFFERENT, AND SUITABLY VAGUE MANNER], allowing you to savor the experience, as well as picking and choosing where you’d like to visit, and how savaged you’d like to get at the talons of a [REALLY RATHER COOL CREATURE I CAN'T MENTION].
I’ve personally spent more than [A SPECTACULARLY LARGE AMOUNT OF] man-hours on this project. I’ve worked directly with Bethesda to ensure [VARIOUS BITS AND BOBS] are presented in the easiest and most methodical manner possible. I’ve worked closely with professional cartographers so that [A RATHER IMPRESSIVE NUMBER OF] maps are created to the highest standard. And teasing just one element of the “meat and potatoes” of this effort, I have to make special mention of the [NOTHING TO SEE HERE] explorations: Well, let’s just say [ACTUALLY, LET'S NOT, SHALL WE?], an experience I’ll regard as one of the most [ENTHUSIASTIC ADJECTIVE] I’ve ever witnessed.
I hope I’ve suitably salivated your interest in the game and guide. Although I’m meeting the City Folk up at Nintendo for a while, I hope to be back soon, revealing [NOTHING SENSITIVE WHATSOEVER] about Fallout 3. Until then, I’ll send this to Prima’s ace legal department (they’re sure to perform only minor alterations to my blog entry), and let you feast your eyes on this single early rendered art piece, especially taken from already-available press release materials, and not any of the [LARGE NUMBER OF PRISTINE SCREENSHOTS] I took.
see more of David’s work at PrimaGames.com
