My final idea for my thesis is to take the base game of Bethesda’s Fallout 4 and create within it a full-length original quest mod that will bring the player to a new location with a fresh narrative and a unique form of gameplay that’s new to Fallout 4. Inspired by my other favourite post-apocalyptic series, Metro 2033, this quest will bring the player to a vast underground cavern with strange NPCs, exotic radioactive flora, and deadly new creatures. I’d like to recreate the sense of wonder that Skyrim’s Blackreach had combined with Metro’s sense of constant dread. This theme will be completely new for the base Fallout 4 game and a fresh idea in the modding community. Plus, I’d like to get into some scipting that involves stealth. Base Fallout 4 isn’t much of a stealth game, but the mechanics are there. With some base scripting, I may be able to enhance the stealth that heightens the level design.
I was inspired to take up this idea by the years and years of watching this goofy dude, AlChestBreach, play mods for Bethesda games. I’ve even downloaded and played some of them myself. For a while, I’ve wanted to give mod creation a shot myself. Since game design and model creation is the direction I’m taking for my future, modding seems like great practice to me. With my idea for a project, I’ll be able to follow many paths that game development offers and truly see what is a good fit for me. Plus, with NPC creation, I’ll be able to practice my talent in voice acting. Including in this mod a narrative experience will also allow me to flex my talents in creative dialogue writing.
I think that anyone even a little interested in first person shooters/stealth games will have an interest in this mod. Plus, the great thing about mods is that you can upload them on a site like https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/ and anyone who owns a copy of Fallout 4 can download and play your creation for free. Hopefully, once on the site this mod will really stick out for how differently it treats the base game. Not only are there typical weapon and NPC additions, but it will completely change how you play. You see, base Fallout 4 is basically a sandbox with a whole lot of shooting and looting and that’s about it. My hopes with this mod are to change the game to be more centered around thinking before shooting.
The majority of this project will involve what is known as the G.E.C.K. This is the game editor released to the public by Bethesda that is used by them to create these games. Without this, creating complex narrative mods would be impossible. Also needed is modeling software like Maya and texturing software like photoshop, both of which have experience in. Some possible prototypes may involve the testing of my stealth ideas, simple NPC test creation, and the insertion of weapon models and animations.
Be sure to talk to Professor Fishburn about your idea.
Need to work out the story soon. Constrain the story to an appropriate scope given the tools you’re working with, the content you want to create (voice acting, etc) and the time you have available.
If the action is going to take place underground, the “look and feel” should cater to that. Definitely play with light.
I still think an intriguing way to make your game stand out is to push the look and feel (and therefore the tool) in a way that’s appropriate to your story but otherwise a departure from what people expect in Fallout.