Fallout Official Survival Guide/transcript

BradyGAMES Staff

Publisher
Lyn Zingraf

Editor-in-Chief
H. Leigh Davis

Licensing Manager
David Waybright

Marketing Manager
Janet Cadoff

Acquisitions
Debra McBride

Credits

Development Editor
David Cassady

Project Editor
David Bartley

Screenshot Editor
Michael Owen

Book/Cover Designer
Tanja Pohl

Production Designer
Dan Caparo

Artists
Leonard Boyarsky

Jason Anderson

Tramell Ray Isaac

Scott Rodenhizer

Say, you're new out here, ain't ya? Ayuh. Thought so. You have th' look of a newbie fresh from the vault, you do. Trogboy! Oh, no, no. Don't take offense, none. First time fer everythin', know what I mean?

So...which vault? Thirteen? Ayuh. Thought so. Been wonderin' if anyone was left alive down there after all these years. Heard rumors, but no one from Thirteen's been out in these parts, leastwise, not since I can remember. And friend, I can remember back a long, long ways I'll tell ya.

Who, me? Oh, they call me "Ol' Slim", I guess 'cause pickin's is so danged slim out here. Other things too, "Desert Rat." "Prospector." Even "Pops," though not to my face, believe me. I don't mind "Slim," though. It kinda reminds folks that I'm a survivor, that I been gettin' along out here in the wise-open Outback fer a fair hunk o' years now.

Here. Take a look. Out yonder. Whatcha see? Yeah... sand, rock, an' a whole passel o' damn-all nothin', far as the eye can see. But... heh. You'd be surprised. Ayuh. You'd be real surprised. Why, they's places out there where the water's glowin', still puttin' out rads after all these years. An' critters. Man, oh, man, the critters. There are some walkin' nightmares out here that... well, you ain't lived 'til you see a Deathclaw. Heh. Some folk'd say you ain't died until you run into one o' them babies.

Eh? Oh, sure, sure! You can survive out here! Heh! Down there in them vaults, you trogboys probably figure there ain't no other life up here. Shoot, I bet you never even seen the sun before, am I right? Ayuh. Thought so. Well, vaultboy, I can tell ya, there's a whole wide, big world up here, and, yeah, you can survive. All ya need is t' keep your wits about you. Don't go off half-cocked. Watch what you're doin', and fer Pete's sake don't go blunderin' into situations with your eyes shut. Know what I mean? An watch your mouth. You'll find some pretty dangerous beasties up here, things lots worse than your cave rats, let me tell ya. Ever seen a rad scorpion? Yeah, I thought not. But, you listen t' ol' Slim, now, when he tells ya that the deadliest critter up here go on two legs. You take my meanin'?

Here, I know what. See this book? The Official Survivor's Guide to Fallout. Sure, go ahead, take it. Shoot, if you're gonna survive out here, y'need every ace y'can muster, right? This here little book'll tell ya everythin' you need t'know to find what you're a-lookin' for. It's got descriptions of places y'might end up at, people y'might run into, things y'might find'll come in handy. Who knows? Might even save your life one o' these fine days.

If you pay attention...

Fallout is Interplay's new PC CD-ROM role-playing game that puts you in the role of an explorer venturing out from your underground shelter on a quest. Decades ago, a brief, savage nuclear holocaust devastated the surface world; for a long time, the vaults held their tiny human enclaves safe from the radiation and mutations outside. You are a member of one of these self-contained communities, a citizen of Vault 13. For over eighty years, no one in your vault has set foot outside. Now, though, a critical component of your vault's water purification system has failed. In four months, your community will be destroyed ... unless you can find a replacement part and bring it back to Vault Thirteen. The Overseer, the community's leader, suggests that you begin your search at a neighboring vault, somewhere to the east. But exactly where you go, what you do, and where you search, is entirely up to you ...

The Official Survivor's Guide to Fallout is divided into nine chapters. Some provide only very basic information that doesn't spoil the ending; others may give away secrets that will spoil some of the excitement of the game. The authors of this guide have developed the patented Radiation Trefoil System (RATS) to warn you that a chapter might give away more information than you want to know. Here's how the system works:

With that in mind, these are the guide's chapters:

Prologue: This section introduces Slim, your guide to the outside world, and tells you how to use this book.

Chapter 1: Who Are You? This chapter covers everything you need to know about creating, modifying, and selecting your game character. Those players who are unfamiliar with role-playing games might want to check out this section's descriptions of character stats and traits, and see how they work.

Chapter 2: Getting Around, gives you the basics of maneuvering and fighting in the Fallout game world. It discusses the various game screens, talks about movement and information cursors, tells you how combat works, and fills you in on such need-to-know items as your character's inventory and action points.

Chapter 3: Places to Go. This chapter lists the various locations where the adventure unfolds. There are no major spoilers, but players who prefer to do their own exploring might want to do it without learning what they're going to find in a given town.

Chapter 4: People and Things to Meet. Each major character in the game is listed here. Again, no major spoilers are given, but be warned that some of the characters presented in Fallout are supposed to be a surprise... and you'll risk learning things about the game's climax if you read too far.

Chapter 5: Stuff to Get. Along the way, you'll find lots of stuff you can pick up and take with you. This section will tell you what's available. It also describes some of the special places, like trunks and refrigerators, that you can open and, sometimes, find things in. It also lists the various weapons you might find.

Chapter 6: Uh, What'll I Do Now? For each location and character, this chapter asks some questions or makes some gentle suggestions, providing hints about what you ought to be thinking about while you're there. No game secrets are given away here, but the hints provided will help keep you from wandering aimlessly about, trying to figure out what to do next.

Chapter 7: Exploring the Wastes on Only 200 Bottle Caps a Day. This chapter takes the various game locations one by one and looks at them in more detail than Chapter 3. Places of particular importance at each are described, and any special adventures or dangers are listed. This chapter also provides maps for all important game locations. Many game secrets are openly discussed, so don't look here if you want to solve things for yourself.

Chapter 8: Danger! Radioactive! Look in this chapter only if you want specific help in plain language. This chapter DOES give the secrets away, so don't look inside if you'd really rather figure the problems out for yourself!

Chapter 9: One Woman's Path Through the Desert is a detailed walk-through of the entire adventure. It describes, in the form of a diary, a complete narrative of the game. Read this chapter if you want to get a feel for how the adventure unfolds, or to pick up something of the atmosphere of the whole game. The walkthrough gives away some of the surprises that you'll encounter later in the game, however, so don't read too far into this chapter unless you don't mind learning about the game's climax.

Appendix: Experience and Perks. This section describes how you can improve your character during the course of the game, including Experience Points and the various new skills or Perks you can purchase along the way.

Fallout is a role-playing game. Unlike many other CD-ROM games on the market, in Fallout, you (the player) have tremendous freedom as to where you can go, what you can do, and even in how you act toward the non-player characters you meet. At the very beginning of things, The Overseer, the leader of your vault community, suggests that you search for another vault to the east... but you are not obligated to take his advice. You can do anything you want.

In a very real sense, you are creating the story as you go along.

Obviously, no game guide of this book's thickness could map out all of the possible paths for you. What it can do is provide a little extra information about the places you'll see and the characters you'll meet. It is designed so that you can extract exactly what you want, without giving away too much.

If you prefer to play the game all the way through without specific help with the adventure, Chapter 1: Who Are You? and Chapter 2: Getting Around will tell you how to create a character and how to maneuver through the world of Fallout without giving anything away.

Chapter 3: Places to Go, Chapter 4: People and Things to Meet, and Chapter 5: Stuff to Get all give you some information about the locations, and non-player characters, and equipment you'll be encountering in the adventure. Most of this is basic information, but some of the game's suspense will be lost if you read through to the end.

If you arrive at a new town and have no idea about where to go or what to do, consult Chapter 6: Uh, What'll I Do Now?' The hints are presented under each location and character, arranged top to bottom from vague to specific. Find the heading of the section that's troubling you and start reading from the top. You might want to cover up the lower tips with a 3x5 card so that you see only the less-specific clues first, then move down the page one line at a time until you have just the information you need. If you don't want more than a nudge, just read the top suggestion or two on each list. If you need more help, go further down the list.

If you want specific help with specific places or characters, go to Chapter 7: Exploring the Wastes On Only 200 Bottle Caps a Day. This chapter gives a site-by-site rundown of each major game location, listing special dangers or adventures that may be encountered there.

Chapter 8: Danger! Radioactive! If a place or a character has you completely stumped and you don't mind having the answer given to you, this is where to go. Just be aware that there are spoilers here. Don't read this section unless you don't mind having the answers handed to you in plain language.

Chapter 9: One Woman's Path Through the Desert is part story narrative, part hints and tips. Keep in mind, though, that Fallout is an open-ended role-playing game, and the chain of events presented here is only one possible of out of a great many. In fact, each time the computer throws another set of electronic dice, (did I hit that rad scorpion, or did I hit the cave wall instead?) chances are the outcome will be different from what is listed here. Use this as a guide, not as an infallible blueprint. The story presented in this chapter represents one possible approach but by no means the only one ... or even the best one. The story you are telling in Fallout, after all, is your own.

And ... don't look here unless you want to learn something about what you're really up against in this game!

Appendix: Experience and Perks won't be of much use until later in the game when your character begins accumulating valuable Experience Points. Check here if you need help deciding how to improve your character.

Finally, here and there throughout this guide you'll see sidebars with a few choice words from ol' Slim-just some friendly advice from an old guy who lives in the world of Fallout. Think about that. He's old. That means he's survived out on the surface of the world long enough to get old ... so maybe his advice is worth listening to, huh? If he can survive up there, so can you!

No, we're not talking Rocket-Propelled Grenades. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the genre, an RPG is a Role-Playing Game, a kind of game where you assume the role of a particular character in a story. Your decisions and actions determine the way the plot unfolds, almost as though you're writing a book. Fallout is an RPG where the computer operates as the game referee, keeping track of events, and rolling its electronic equivalent of dice to handle the random aspects of each event.

Your character is your representative in the game world of Fallout. His or her particular mix of skills and personality traits, together with the level of each skill, are what the computer uses to decide how well you accomplish certain tasks-from firing a
handgun to picking a lock to telling a lie. The character's statistics or stats tell you and the computer how strong your character is, how much endurance he or she possesses, how much agility, how much personal charisma, and so on.

Other characters you encounter in the game are called non-player characters or NPCs. They are the people your character will interact with-by asking them questions, bartering for equipment, or engaging with them in a firefight. Some may be induced to join your expedition. Others will provide useful information, while still others could be lying to you for any number of reasons. As in the real world, you must make your own judgments about other characters' motives, reasoning, and intentions.

When beginning a new Fallout game, the first thing you'll be asked to do is either select or create a new character. This chapter will take you through that process step by step and let you know what you need to be thinking about as you make your decisions. The choices you make are important. After all, this is your life we're talking about here!

When beginning a new game, you have three choices when it comes to getting your character. You can choose one of three pre-generated characters, Max, Natalia, or Albert; you can choose one of those three characters and modify their beginning stats; or you can start your new character from scratch.

To choose or create a character, select NEW GAME from the Main Menu. This will take you to the Character Selection Screen. There, you can TAKE or MODIFY a pre-existing character, or CREATE a new one of your own. Press CANCEL to return to the Main Menu.

If you find Max, Natalia, and Albert a little too pedestrian for your tastes, check out the following characters created through Fallout's Character Creation System. You're welcome to use these characters for your own campaigns, or simply to see the effects of certain choices of stats and skills.

Born Arnold Black, the son of Dutch parents, Arnie has always been a problem in the Vault. When he sits in chairs he breaks them. When he goes through doors, his head cracks the door frame. The door frame cracks, that is, not the head. And when he rumbles "I'll be back," bad things tend to happen within the staid and normally quiet community of the Vault. Maybe that's why everyone is so glad he drew the short straw and is on his way into the outside world. Maybe someone rigged the drawing, to make certain he got the short straw.
Strength 10
Perception 5
Endurance 10
Charisma 4
Intelligence 4
Agility 4
Luck 4
Tag Skills: Small Guns, Big Guns, Unarmed Combat
Traits: Bruiser, Bloody Mess

This is Arnie's younger brother. He's even bigger and stronger than Arnie ... but he's also a bit on the slow side, if you know what I mean. Sometime back he picked up the handle "Barney the Barbarian"-it may have had something to do with the way he once came through the door at mealtime, forgetting to open it first. This guy is definitely played for laughs.
Strength 10
Perception 5
Endurance 10
Charisma 3
Intelligence 3
Agility 6
Luck 6
Tag Skills: Small Guns, Big Guns, Unarmed Combat
Traits: Kamikaze, Heavy Handed

Tanya MacMillen is quick, agile, sharp, and bright, so much so she's picked up the handle "Blade." She's small-105 pounds soaking wet-but she moves like a cat... except in combat when she moves more like lightning.
Strength 4
Perception 7
Endurance 4
Charisma 6
Intelligence 8
Agility 7
Luck 4
Tag Skills: Small Guns, Speech, Repair
Traits: Small Frame, Gifted

Frank Charles Luciano, better known as "Lucky," was blessed with holostar good looks and a charming personality. His reputation as a Don Juan has gotten him in trouble in the past; rumor has it that the reason he volunteered to leave the Vault had something to do with the Overseer's daughter. He's got a quick wit and a ready tongue. Unfortunately, he's never cared much for guns. He does like to gamble, though, and seems to be as lucky at cards and dice as he is with women.
Strength 4
Perception 5
Endurance 4
Charisma 9
Intelligence 6
Agility 5
Luck 7
Tag Skills: Speech, Gambling, Sneak
Traits: Good Natured, Gifted

Congratulations! Your new character is now ready to go forth into the world, armed with the strength, endurance, agility, and brains you have given him or her. Go to the Main Menu where you can start a new game, load a previously saved game, review the introductory movie, look at the credits, or exit back to your normal operating system.

Good luck!

You're gonna need it!