However, the players relationships with the games factions are distinct, so any two groups or settlements may view the player in contrasting ways, depending on the players conduct. 7.

For the cancelled Black Isle Studios prototype, see Van Buren (video game).

The third major installment in the Fallout series, 1 it is the first game to be created by Bethesda since it bought the franchise from Interplay Entertainment.

The game marks a major shift in the series by using 3D graphics and real-time combat, replacing the 2D isometric graphics and turn-based combat of previous installments.

It was released worldwide in October 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

It takes place within Fallout s usual setting of a world that deviated into an alternate timeline thanks to atomic age technology, which eventually led to its devastation by a nuclear apocalypse in the year 2077 (referred to as the Great War), caused by a major international conflict between the United States and China over natural resources and the last remaining supplies of untapped uranium and crude oil.

The main story takes place in the year 2277, around 36 years after the events of Fallout 2, of which it is not a direct sequel.

Players take control of an inhabitant of Vault 101, one of several underground shelters created before the Great War to protect around 1,000 humans from the nuclear fallout, who is forced to venture out into the Capital Wasteland to find their father after he disappears from the Vault under mysterious circumstances.

They find themselves seeking to complete their fathers work while fighting against the Enclave, the corrupt remnants of the former U.S.

The NPD Group estimated that Fallout 3 sold over 610,000 units during its initial month of release in October 2008, performing better than Bethesdas previous game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which sold nearly 500,000 units in its first month.

The game received post-launch support, with Bethesda releasing five downloadable add-ons.

The game was met with controversy upon release in Australia, for the recreational drug use and the ability to be addicted to alchohol and drugs, and in India, for cultural and religious sentiments over the mutated cattle in the game being called Brahmin, a varna (class) in Hinduism.

The players have the option to switch between this and an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective at any time after the initial stages of the game.

While many elements from previous titles are reused, such as the S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

V.A.T.S. system.

In Fallout 3, players get to use the Pip-Boy 3000, as shown here.

The characters creation is done in steps, with the player first setting up their appearance along with what race and gender their character is, and the name they have.

Next, they customize their characters primary attributes via the S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck) which is retained in Fallout 3, and determines the base level of the Skills the character has.

As the character progresses through the game, experience points (XP) are earned from accomplishing various actions, such as completing a quest, killing an enemy, and so forth, with a new level granted upon reaching the necessary amount of XP.

A new level grants the player the ability to allocate points to the various Skills available and thus improve upon them, making them more effective; for instance, a higher lock-picking skill allows the player to be able to tackle more difficult locks on doors and containers, while a higher medicine skill increases the amount of health recovered with Stimpaks.

Once the character achieves their second level, they can be granted a Perk, which offers advantages of varying quality and form, such as being able to carry more items, finding more ammo in containers, and having a higher chance to perform a critical hit.

Many Perks have a set of prerequisites that need to be satisfied, often requiring a certain Skill level to acquire them, while a new Perk can be granted for every two levels earned by the character.

Additional improvements to Skill levels can be made by finding Skill books, which confer a permanent boost to levels, while players can search for and find a series of 20 bobbleheads that confer a bonus to these and primary attributes.

Positive actions to Karma include freeing captives and helping others, while negative actions towards this include killing good characters and stealing.

Actions vary in the level of karma change they cause; thus, pickpocketing produces less negative karma than the killing of a good character.

Karma can have tangible effects to the player, beyond acting as flavor for the games events, in that it can affect the ending the player gets, alter dialogue with non-player characters (NPCs) or give off unique reactions from other characters, while also granting access to certain perks that require a specific Karma level.

However, the players relationships with the games factions are distinct, so any two groups or settlements may view the player in contrasting ways, depending on the players conduct.

Liberty Basic 4 Companion Games