The early Fallout games are cherished by many for their engaging and detailed world. Recently, series creator Tim Cain shared insights into the studio's worldbuilding process.
Game designer Tim Cain revealed details about the creation of the Fallout universe in a new video. He mentioned that while he used to have all his development notes, he was forced to destroy them after leaving Interplay, under the threat of legal action. However, many of the details remain in his memory.
The 84-Year Time Jump
For example, the developers meticulously calculated how many years needed to pass after the war to ensure old technologies were still functional, while also making it so players could easily immerse themselves in the world without prior knowledge. This is why they chose to set Fallout 84 years after the war: a new generation would have grown up on the surface, older Vault dwellers wouldn't remember pre-war times, and technologies would still be partially functional. This approach allowed for the existence of factions like the Gunners, who load old shells with new powder, and the preservation of some foods, like canned beans.
We wanted no one in the Vaults to know what was outside. That meant that most of the people who remembered the war would have to be dead. Starting the game 84 years after the war meant that even the oldest Vault dwellers wouldn't remember the pre-war world.
We wanted some places to still have electricity so doors and force fields would work. At the same time, most buildings needed to be in ruins, but not completely destroyed.
We needed enough time for different factions to emerge. If the game took place immediately after the war, when people were still struggling to survive, there wouldn't be any factions. We wanted to create settlements where a new generation had grown up, one that didn't remember the war or life in the Vaults.
Tim Cain has previously revealed other secrets about the development of the early Fallout games. For instance, the developers originally wanted to create hundreds of Vaults, a plan that never came to fruition.
