A DLC-sized mod is posed to takeFallout: New Vegasfans outside the United States, taking the bits and pieces of lore about the greater world in the franchise and showcasing for the first time in the American Southwest and Mexico. That mod isFallout: Nuevo Mexico,which interestingly usesNew Vegasas the basis of the mod despite a few drawbacks. It’s more common formod projects likeFallout: Londonto useFallout 4, butNuevo Mexicodidn’t just choose thisF:NVbecause of the setting’s adjacency.
Bethesda games have long life cycles, as plenty of people still playMorrowindover two decades after its release. In that respect, a large mod project being developed for a 14-year-old title isn’t a shock, but it is also far from the norm, at least forFallout: New Vegas. Game Rant recently spoke to key members of theNuevo Mexicoteam, including project lead Zapshock, about this choice.
Why Build a Mod in New Vegas
With its more advanced graphics, larger modding community, and continued support from Bethesda,Fallout 4might seem like a natural canvas for modders. In fact,Nuevo Mexicoproject lead Zapshock doesn’t rule out using it someday on another project, but he also explained why that wasn’t the right canvas for the project. Interestingly, the age that makesNew Vegasa surprising choice is also its strength.
I think one of the main thingsNew Vegasgave us was scripting capabilities. TheNew VegasScript Extenderhas got other extensions, like JIP LN, Lutana, and all these different sorts of Script Extender downloadable content that people can get, and that all expands the code so we can work with more and do more scripting magic.
That’s important forNuevo Mexico, which is attempting to do some genuinely different and interesting things with the franchise. A notable example of something their team is trying that’s a fresh take onFalloutis theinclusion ofDragon Age-style origins: stories that will be unique to different player backgrounds woven through the entirety of the mod. If players choose to play a Ghoul, which the team calls The Dreamer, they will have a completely different opening and gameplay experience than the standard human.
The idea of playing as aGhoul dramatically changes the formula forFalloutand allowsNuevo Mexicoto explore the idea of prejudice through the game’s len, as Ghouls are regularly ostracized, excluded, or even feared in the wasteland. That’s notably shown in the Underworld inFallout 3and the quest You Gotta Shoot ‘Em in the Head, which explores the treatment of the zombie-like subspecies.
Simply put, Zapshock said the tools available forFallout 4modding aren’t as robust as those forNew Vegas, limiting some of the things they wanted to do.Fallout 4does have a lot to offer, to be clear, but the types of offerings are what madeNew Vegasa better pick for this specific project.
I wasn’t the biggest fan ofFallout 4’s dialogue trees. I tried using the creation kit and I think it’s really good if you want to make a linear type of story, but I tried it and yeah, no. We felt like we weren’t going to be able to do what we could with the Ghoul origin and all that RPG stuff that we have in this project.
Fallout 4 and New Vegas Are Both Good for Different Kinds of Mods
It’s worth noting thatFallout 4’s dialogue system has received a lot of criticism since its launch. In fact, there areFallout 4mods that overhaul the dialoguecompletely, but that’s just one more thing that would have impacted this project to some degree.Fallout 4, at its core, is great for a linear experience, but it takes a lot more work for something more. What Zapshock envisions forNuevo Mexicois a deeply realistic, immersive, and complex RPG experience, and at the end of the day, bothFallout 4andFallout: New Vegashave drawbacks for the modding experience.New Vegasdoesn’t have as many available assets, after all, butNew Vegassimply made more sense for this project.
Though the modding community forNew Vegasmay be less active–which, he admits, has been a constraint on the modding team Zapshock leads–the player base is definitely there.New Vegasis considered one of the best entries, and there’s constant fan demand for aFallout: New Vegasremake, remaster, or sequel. With no clear news of such a game in the works, however, it’s things likeNuevo Mexicothat are keeping the game alive as it sets its sights on the impressive longevity of games likeMorrowind.
New story details and trailers will be released from theNuevo Mexicoteam throughout 2024.
Fallout: New Vegas
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to Vegas. New Vegas.It’s the kind of town where you dig your own grave prior to being shot in the head and left for dead…and that’s before things really get ugly. It’s a town of dreamers and desperados being torn apart by warring factions vying for complete control of this desert oasis. It’s a place where the right kind of person with the right kind of weaponry can really make a name for themselves, and make more than an enemy or two along the way.As you battle your way across the heat-blasted Mojave Wasteland, the colossal Hoover Dam, and the neon drenched Vegas Strip, you’ll be introduced to a colorful cast of characters, power-hungry factions, special weapons, mutated creatures and much more. Choose sides in the upcoming war or declare “winner takes all” and crown yourself the King of New Vegas in this follow-up to the 2008 videogame of the year, Fallout 3.Enjoy your stay.
