Fallout 3 Point Lookout DLC Developer Diary
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Here at Bethesda, we believe that iteration is important to all aspects of game development. This applies to quests, level flow, world design such as we've discussed here, and more. This includes the creation of important set-pieces, such as the Steamboat which transports the player to Point Lookout. Such assets are much layered in their construction. First, an artist blocks out the major shapes with pre-existing assets or simple geometry. This lets us get a feel for scale and make sure that it plays well and has a good feel in-game. Once we're comfortable with the basic shapes, detail modeling begins, then texturing and finally details. Assets are constantly reviewed throughout these stages and often revised for visual and gameplay concerns. For example, the main cabin of the steamboat was made into an open interior, though in the original block-out it was closed and would be loaded as separate, interior space. Once the meshes are complete, we do a clutter pass in the GECK, adding bits of paper, signage, and furniture and so on.
Point Lookout wouldn't have been complete without characters to populate it. The setting yielded no shortage of ideas for new enemy types and characters, but with finite resources we had to be selective about what work the team could take on. Tobar is the Steamboat ferryman, and this grafter is one of the first characters the player will meet. He received a custom outfit to match his unique and ebullient personality. Point Lookout is also home to a group of transcendental Tribals, who received new garments to help reinforce their beliefs and set them apart from citizens of the Capital Wasteland. Perhaps most involved was our new enemy type; the Swampfolk. These denizens of the marsh are descended from the reclusive natives of the swamp, inspired by Bayou legends and other modern myths. Everything about these enemies was a challenge we chose to embrace a certain amount of humor in their presentation, but they needed to be dangerous, yet still human. They're people, albeit mutated by radiation and deformed by generations of poor breeding. These new enemies are as much a part of the environment as the shacks they inhabit, and help reinforce the sense of place which is so important to the player experience of Point Lookout.
