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Van Buren (Fallout)
Encyclopedia
Van Buren was the codename given to Fallout 3, a game that was being developed by Black Isle Studios
before the parent company, Interplay Entertainment
, laid off the PC
development team on December 8, 2003, effectively cancelling the game. Prior to its cancellation, Van Buren was set to carry on the Fallout
series as the sequel to Fallout 2
. On May 3, 2007, the tech demo
of the game was leaked onto the internet
. An official Fallout 3
was developed by Bethesda Softworks
after Interplay
sold them the single player rights to the franchise. It was released October 28, 2008.
in favor for other of Interplay's titles, notably console titles. When Interplay lost the rights to make Icewind Dale
and Baldur's Gate
video game's on PC Platforms, their game Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound
, in development by Black Isle Studios, was canceled. With the cancelation of Baldur's Gate III, Black Isle Studios team was immediately transferred to work on Fallout 3, codenamed Van Buren. During this time, Interplay's own team was working on Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
, the teams had one meeting together to plan out the games. When many of Black Isle Studio's most talented developers left Black Isle Studios, the developer Damien Foletto responded by stating it was only the trust within the team and belief that they could finish the game that kept them going. The game was officially canceled when Titus decided to try and improve Interplay's console division. This led to a nearly completed Fallout 3 being canceled. Members of the Black Isle team were then either transferred to the development of Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2
or Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
, of which only one product was released.
The following is a description of the scrapped development of Van Buren by Black Isle Studios. The official Fallout 3
does not follow this storyline. Although the complete story was never revealed, many important details were divulged during the game's development.
The character would start the game as a prisoner; whether the character was wrongfully imprisoned or guilty was to be determined at character creation. The game would have started in a strange prison as it was attacked by an unnamed force. An explosion would knock the character unconscious, and the cell door would be open when he awakened. The player would then escape into the wasteland while being pursued by strange assailants. After leaving, the character would have the power to shape the destiny of the wasteland. His interactions with organizations such as the Brotherhood of Steel and the burgeoning New Californian Republic (with both of these factions participating in a prolonged war with one another) could bolster or destroy the organizations, influencing people associated with them and eventually decide the fate of the region, much as in the previous two Fallout games.
One of the more significant elements of the plot and back story of Van Buren was to be an ongoing war between the Brotherhood of Steel and the New California Republic. The player would be able to visit various prominent settlements and fortresses controlled by either of the factions and their actions there would influence the proceeding of the war. An example of the how the player's interactions could alter the flow of the conflict would be in the case of the settlement situated in the area around the Hoover Dam
. Here the player could choose whether or not to aid the settlement and its people in a myriad of tasks, which would lead to this isolated frontier outpost eventually deciding the fate of the war. The game's ultimate plot line was planned so that the events in the beginning of the game would have been part of a scheme by a rogue New California Republic scientist, Dr. Victor Presper, to seize control of a U.S. orbital nuclear weapons platform dubbed B.O.M.B.-001 and use it to initiate a second nuclear holocaust, cleansing the world of all but his chosen few. In the end, the player would not be able to stop all of the missiles from launching, and his or her decisions on where the missiles would strike would ultimately have decided the future of the world.
Van Buren was to be centered around Utah
and Colorado
, however, a small part of Nevada would also be available. The player would be able to visit places such as Hoover Dam
, Denver
, Mesa Verde
, and the Grand Canyon
.
Avellone outlined during an interview that several aspects from Van Buren would make an appearance in Fallout: New Vegas
. In particular, the NCR-Brotherhood of Steel war is mentioned, a companion from Van Buren (Joshua Graham) appears in heavily modified form, as does an antagonistic faction known as Caesar's Legion. He also verified that the Van Buren codename was based on President Martin Van Buren
. Of the locales planned to be in Van Buren, only Hoover Dam appeared in Fallout: New Vegas, due to the change in location.
Black Isle Studios
Black Isle Studios was a division of the computer and video game developer and publisher Interplay Entertainment. Black Isle Studios was a division that developed computer role-playing games, and also published several games from other developers. It was based in Orange County, California, USA. The...
before the parent company, Interplay Entertainment
Interplay Entertainment
Interplay Entertainment Corporation is an American video game developer and publisher, founded in 1983 as Interplay Productions by Brian Fargo. The company had been a quality developer until they started publishing their own games in 1988, like Neuromancer and Battle Chess. The company was renamed...
, laid off the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
development team on December 8, 2003, effectively cancelling the game. Prior to its cancellation, Van Buren was set to carry on the Fallout
Fallout (computer game)
Fallout is a computer role-playing game produced by Tim Cain, developed and published by Interplay in 1997. The game has a post-apocalyptic and retro-futuristic setting in the mid-22nd century, featuring an alternate history which deviates some time after World War II, where technology, politics...
series as the sequel to Fallout 2
Fallout 2
Fallout 2 is a computer role-playing game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay in 1998. The game's story takes place in 2241, 80 years after the events of Fallout...
. On May 3, 2007, the tech demo
Technology demo
A tech demo is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a product, put together with the primary purpose of showcasing the idea, performance, method or the features of the product...
of the game was leaked onto the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. An official Fallout 3
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
was developed by Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
after Interplay
Interplay Entertainment
Interplay Entertainment Corporation is an American video game developer and publisher, founded in 1983 as Interplay Productions by Brian Fargo. The company had been a quality developer until they started publishing their own games in 1988, like Neuromancer and Battle Chess. The company was renamed...
sold them the single player rights to the franchise. It was released October 28, 2008.
Development
Fallout 3 had previously started work on two occasions prior to the development of Van Buren, both attempts were halted by Titus SoftwareTitus Software
Titus Software, later known as Titus Interactive S.A., was a long-running French software publisher that produced and published video games for various formats over its lifetime....
in favor for other of Interplay's titles, notably console titles. When Interplay lost the rights to make Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment. Released on June 30, 2000, it takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition...
and Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
video game's on PC Platforms, their game Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound
Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound
Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound was the sequel to Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal and was to be the third entry in the Dungeons & Dragons Baldur's Gate series and was to be developed by Black Isle Studios. It was codenamed FR6 and Project Jefferson, this is...
, in development by Black Isle Studios, was canceled. With the cancelation of Baldur's Gate III, Black Isle Studios team was immediately transferred to work on Fallout 3, codenamed Van Buren. During this time, Interplay's own team was working on Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel is an action role-playing game developed and produced by Interplay for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. Released on January 13, 2004, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel was the fourth video game to be set in the Fallout universe and the first to be made for consoles...
, the teams had one meeting together to plan out the games. When many of Black Isle Studio's most talented developers left Black Isle Studios, the developer Damien Foletto responded by stating it was only the trust within the team and belief that they could finish the game that kept them going. The game was officially canceled when Titus decided to try and improve Interplay's console division. This led to a nearly completed Fallout 3 being canceled. Members of the Black Isle team were then either transferred to the development of Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2 was the canceled sequel to Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel and was in development by Interplay Entertainment who would self-publish it if it were ever made. The development of the game started before the completion of the original and its development caused the...
or Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is an action role-playing game released for the PlayStation 2 on December 2, 2003 and the Xbox on January 20, 2004...
, of which only one product was released.
Plot
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
does not follow this storyline. Although the complete story was never revealed, many important details were divulged during the game's development.
The character would start the game as a prisoner; whether the character was wrongfully imprisoned or guilty was to be determined at character creation. The game would have started in a strange prison as it was attacked by an unnamed force. An explosion would knock the character unconscious, and the cell door would be open when he awakened. The player would then escape into the wasteland while being pursued by strange assailants. After leaving, the character would have the power to shape the destiny of the wasteland. His interactions with organizations such as the Brotherhood of Steel and the burgeoning New Californian Republic (with both of these factions participating in a prolonged war with one another) could bolster or destroy the organizations, influencing people associated with them and eventually decide the fate of the region, much as in the previous two Fallout games.
One of the more significant elements of the plot and back story of Van Buren was to be an ongoing war between the Brotherhood of Steel and the New California Republic. The player would be able to visit various prominent settlements and fortresses controlled by either of the factions and their actions there would influence the proceeding of the war. An example of the how the player's interactions could alter the flow of the conflict would be in the case of the settlement situated in the area around the Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
. Here the player could choose whether or not to aid the settlement and its people in a myriad of tasks, which would lead to this isolated frontier outpost eventually deciding the fate of the war. The game's ultimate plot line was planned so that the events in the beginning of the game would have been part of a scheme by a rogue New California Republic scientist, Dr. Victor Presper, to seize control of a U.S. orbital nuclear weapons platform dubbed B.O.M.B.-001 and use it to initiate a second nuclear holocaust, cleansing the world of all but his chosen few. In the end, the player would not be able to stop all of the missiles from launching, and his or her decisions on where the missiles would strike would ultimately have decided the future of the world.
Van Buren was to be centered around Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, however, a small part of Nevada would also be available. The player would be able to visit places such as Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
, Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Mesa Verde
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is a U.S. National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. It was created in 1906 to protect some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the world...
, and the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
.
Avellone outlined during an interview that several aspects from Van Buren would make an appearance in Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is a first person action role-playing video game in the Fallout series developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is based in a post-apocalyptic environment in and around Las Vegas, Nevada...
. In particular, the NCR-Brotherhood of Steel war is mentioned, a companion from Van Buren (Joshua Graham) appears in heavily modified form, as does an antagonistic faction known as Caesar's Legion. He also verified that the Van Buren codename was based on President Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
. Of the locales planned to be in Van Buren, only Hoover Dam appeared in Fallout: New Vegas, due to the change in location.
External links
- Van Buren Unofficial FAQ at No Mutants Allowed
- Van Buren Technology Demo at No Mutants Allowed
- Van Buren article at The Vault, the Fallout wiki
- Interview with John Deiley (June 2004)
- Interview with Chris Avellone (Aug 2010)