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{{For|about=the game|an overview of our ''Van Buren''-related articles|Portal:Van Buren}}
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Van Buren''}}{{For|about=the game|an overview of our ''Van Buren''-related articles|Portal:Van Buren}}
 
{{Infobox game
 
{{Infobox game
 
|image =Vbtitle.png
 
|image =Vbtitle.png
 
|developer =[[Black Isle Studios]]
 
|developer =[[Black Isle Studios]]
 
|publisher =[[Interplay Entertainment]]
 
|publisher =[[Interplay Entertainment]]
|release date =canceled in 2003
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|release date =Canceled on December 8th, 2003
|genre =Role-playing game
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|genre =Role-Playing Game
 
|modes =Single player<br />Co-op multiplayer
 
|modes =Single player<br />Co-op multiplayer
 
|rating =None
 
|rating =None
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The game was going to use an engine that Black Isle had made for ''Baldur's Gate 3'', commonly referred to as the [[Jefferson Engine]]. It was a fully 3D engine, but was never used.
 
The game was going to use an engine that Black Isle had made for ''Baldur's Gate 3'', commonly referred to as the [[Jefferson Engine]]. It was a fully 3D engine, but was never used.
   
Black Isle Studios planned to include a dual-combat system in the game that allowed for the player to choose real-time (like ''Fallout 3'' or ''Fallout Tactics'') or [[turn-based combat]] (like ''[[Fallout]] 1'' & ''[[Fallout 2|2]]''). Due to [[Interplay]]'s demands though, [[Joshua Sawyer]] had stated that the emphasis would be on the turn-based version. Co-operative multiplayer was also going to be included in the game, again because of publisher requirements.
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Black Isle Studios planned to include a dual-combat system in the game that allowed for the player to choose real-time (like ''Fallout 3'' or ''Fallout Tactics'') or [[turn-based combat]] (like ''[[Fallout]] 1'' & ''[[Fallout 2|2]]''), but real-time was only included due to [[Interplay]]'s demands.<ref name=NMA>[http://www.nma-fallout.com/showthread.php?152662-Briareus-speaks-out&p=3023869&viewfull=1#post3023869]</ref> Nonetheless, [[Joshua Sawyer]] had stated that the emphasis would be on the turn-based version. Co-operative multiplayer was also going to be included in the game, again because of publisher requirements.<ref name=NMA>[http://www.nma-fallout.com/showthread.php?152662-Briareus-speaks-out&p=3023869&viewfull=1#post3023869]</ref>
   
 
In 2003, the game was canceled due to [[Bethesda Softworks|Bethesda]] buying the rights to the [[Fallout series|''Fallout'' franchise]], and the Black Isle employees were laid off. At that time, the engine was about 95% done. The player could create characters, use skills, perform both ranged and melee combat, save/load games and travel across maps. A tutorial level was done that would let the designers do all of the above. All areas but one had been designed. About 75% of the dialogue was done and at least 50% of the maps. Black Isle Studios already had many of the character models and monster models.<ref>[http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/johndeiley1.php Interview with John Deiley] at GameBanshee</ref>
 
In 2003, the game was canceled due to [[Bethesda Softworks|Bethesda]] buying the rights to the [[Fallout series|''Fallout'' franchise]], and the Black Isle employees were laid off. At that time, the engine was about 95% done. The player could create characters, use skills, perform both ranged and melee combat, save/load games and travel across maps. A tutorial level was done that would let the designers do all of the above. All areas but one had been designed. About 75% of the dialogue was done and at least 50% of the maps. Black Isle Studios already had many of the character models and monster models.<ref>[http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/johndeiley1.php Interview with John Deiley] at GameBanshee</ref>
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Some places that appeared in ''Van Buren'':
 
Some places that appeared in ''Van Buren'':
* The [[Prison|Tibbets Facility]] (the Prison)
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* The [[Tibbets Prison|Tibbets Facility]] (the Prison)
 
* [[Denver]] (Dog Town)
 
* [[Denver]] (Dog Town)
 
* [[Boulder Dome]]
 
* [[Boulder Dome]]
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Places cut from the final version of the game:
 
Places cut from the final version of the game:
* [[New Canaan]] and [[Jericho desalination plant]] (merged into town of [[Jericho (town)|Jericho]])
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* [[New Canaan]] and Jericho desalination plant (merged into town of [[Jericho (town)|Jericho]])
 
* [[Hangdog Village]] (design documents for Hangdog and Blackfoot tribes were merged)
 
* [[Hangdog Village]] (design documents for Hangdog and Blackfoot tribes were merged)
 
* [[Circle Junction]] ("[[Iron Lines]]" place)
 
* [[Circle Junction]] ("[[Iron Lines]]" place)
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<section begin="VB tech demo" />A [[Van Buren tech demo|tech demo]] of ''Van Buren'', the canceled ''[[Fallout 3]]'' by [[Black Isle Studios]], was created during the game's development. When asked about it, [[Bethesda Softworks|Bethesda]]'s [[Pete Hines]] replied: "(...) releasing someone else's unfinished product, or assets from it, is not something we intend to do." Several screenshots and one video of the tech demo have been released at No Mutants Allowed on April 30, 2007, followed by the tech demo itself on May 2.
 
<section begin="VB tech demo" />A [[Van Buren tech demo|tech demo]] of ''Van Buren'', the canceled ''[[Fallout 3]]'' by [[Black Isle Studios]], was created during the game's development. When asked about it, [[Bethesda Softworks|Bethesda]]'s [[Pete Hines]] replied: "(...) releasing someone else's unfinished product, or assets from it, is not something we intend to do." Several screenshots and one video of the tech demo have been released at No Mutants Allowed on April 30, 2007, followed by the tech demo itself on May 2.
   
The plot of the tech demo is not connected to the main storyline and was going to be included in the finished game as a tutorial. It takes place in the [[United States]] during the [[Great War]], somewhere in the Great Midwest Commonwealth. The [[player character]] in the demo is referred to only as Citizen (even though the Citizen uses the [[Prisoner]]'s model). The Citizen's parents were reduced to ash, as they didn't believe the government's bombing raid sirens. The Citizen made his way to the relocation center and is escorted to a [[Vault]] by [[Armstrong (Van Buren)|Corporal Armstrong]] of the 4th or 13th [[Power armor (Van Buren)|Armored Infantry]] Division. To reach the Vault, they must fight [[communist insurgent]]s. After they enter the Vault, the Citizen must help turn on the life support system.
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The plot of the tech demo is not connected to the main storyline and was going to be included in the finished game as a tutorial. It takes place in the [[United States]] during the [[Great War]], somewhere in the [[Great Midwest Commonwealth]] or the Pacific Time Zone<ref>Respectively - place of Armstrong's origin or the time zone on Citizen's [[Lil' Pip 3000]] (Pacific Standard Time).</ref>. The [[player character]] in the demo is referred to only as Citizen (even though the Citizen uses the [[Prisoner]]'s model). The Citizen's parents were reduced to ash, as they didn't believe the government's bombing raid sirens. The Citizen made his way to the relocation center and is escorted to a [[Vault]] by [[Armstrong (Van Buren)|Corporal Armstrong]] of the 4th or 13th [[Power armor (Van Buren)|Armored Infantry]] Division. To reach the Vault, they must fight [[communist insurgent]]s. After they enter the Vault, the Citizen must help turn on the life support system.
   
There are several things of note in the tech demo. The first is that the female PC appears naked from the waist up, without the prisoner suit with the "13" legend. The second and most curious is that the male PC's character portrait appears to be Eric Wu from Eric Conveys an Emotion (or simply Emotion Eric). The female PC has no character portrait whatsoever. .<section end="VB tech demo" />
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There are several things of note in the tech demo. The first is that the female PC appears naked from the waist up, without the prisoner suit with the "13" legend. The second and most curious is that the male PC's character portrait appears to be Eric Wu from Eric Conveys an Emotion (or simply Emotion Eric). The female PC has no character portrait whatsoever.<section end="VB tech demo" />
 
{{VB|end}}
 
{{VB|end}}
   
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==Notes==
 
==Notes==
*One of the more significant elements of the plot and back story of Van Buren was to be the war between the [[New California Republic|NCR]] and the [[Brotherhood of Steel]]. One of the main designers, Chris Avellone mentioned that aspects from Van Buren would appear in ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' such as the [[New California Republic|NCR]]- [[Brotherhood of Steel|BoS]] war and a companion from Van Buren, [[Joshua Graham]] appears in heavily modified form, as does an antagonistic faction known as [[Caesar's Legion]].
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*One of the more significant elements of the plot and back story of ''Van Buren'' was to be the war between the [[New California Republic|NCR]] and the [[Brotherhood of Steel]]. One of the main designers, Chris Avellone mentioned that aspects from ''Van Buren'' would appear in ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' such as the [[New California Republic|NCR]]- [[Brotherhood of Steel|BoS]] war and a companion from ''Van Buren'', [[Joshua Graham]] appears in heavily modified form, as does an antagonistic faction known as [[Caesar's Legion]].
 
* The name ''Van Buren'' derives from Martin Van Buren, who was the 8th president of the United States of America. Interplay projects were given code names based on the surnames of American presidents during their development phase.
 
* The name ''Van Buren'' derives from Martin Van Buren, who was the 8th president of the United States of America. Interplay projects were given code names based on the surnames of American presidents during their development phase.
 
* President Van Buren's lack of political support is partially what led the Mormons to leave Missouri and settle in Utah. This may be why his name was chosen as the code name for a ''Fallout'' game that was to heavily reference the religion.
 
* President Van Buren's lack of political support is partially what led the Mormons to leave Missouri and settle in Utah. This may be why his name was chosen as the code name for a ''Fallout'' game that was to heavily reference the religion.
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==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
 
<gallery captionalign="left">
 
<gallery captionalign="left">
VB 1.jpg|Van Buren Image
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VB 1.jpg|Van Buren image
VB 2.jpg|Van Buren Image
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VB 2.jpg|Van Buren image
VB 3.jpg|Van Buren Image
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VB 3.jpg|Van Buren image
VB 5.jpg|Van Buren Loading Screen
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VB 5.jpg|Van Buren loading screen
van buren.JPG|Van Buren Character Menu Screen
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van buren.JPG|Van Buren character menu screen
Van_Buren_Fallout_3_4.jpg|Van Buren Image
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Van_Buren_Fallout_3_4.jpg|Van Buren image
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
   
 
==Video==
 
==Video==
A short video demonstrating the Van Buren (Fallout 3) tech demo created by Black Isle in 2003. Presented by No Mutants Allowed.
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A short video demonstrating the [[Van Buren tech demo]] created by Black Isle in 2003. Presented by No Mutants Allowed.
[[File:Black Isle's Van Buren|425px]]
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[[File:Black Isle's Van Buren|425px|left]]
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{{Clear}}
 
 
==Sources==
 
==Sources==
 
* [http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/dload.php?action=category&cat_id=61 ''Van Buren'' design documents] at No Mutants Allowed
 
* [http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/dload.php?action=category&cat_id=61 ''Van Buren'' design documents] at No Mutants Allowed
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[[Category:Canceled Fallout games]]
 
[[Category:Canceled Fallout games]]
 
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Revision as of 15:59, 20 November 2015

 
Gametitle-VB
Gametitle-VB

Van Buren was the project name Black Isle Studios assigned to their version of Fallout 3.

The game was going to use an engine that Black Isle had made for Baldur's Gate 3, commonly referred to as the Jefferson Engine. It was a fully 3D engine, but was never used.

Black Isle Studios planned to include a dual-combat system in the game that allowed for the player to choose real-time (like Fallout 3 or Fallout Tactics) or turn-based combat (like Fallout 1 & 2), but real-time was only included due to Interplay's demands.[1] Nonetheless, Joshua Sawyer had stated that the emphasis would be on the turn-based version. Co-operative multiplayer was also going to be included in the game, again because of publisher requirements.[1]

In 2003, the game was canceled due to Bethesda buying the rights to the Fallout franchise, and the Black Isle employees were laid off. At that time, the engine was about 95% done. The player could create characters, use skills, perform both ranged and melee combat, save/load games and travel across maps. A tutorial level was done that would let the designers do all of the above. All areas but one had been designed. About 75% of the dialogue was done and at least 50% of the maps. Black Isle Studios already had many of the character models and monster models.[2]

Setting

World map

Van Buren world map

Van Buren would have taken place in the American southwest (Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah). The westernmost sites on the game map are the easternmost borders of New California Republic. According to the design documents it was to be set in the year 2253.

Some places that appeared in Van Buren:

Places cut from the final version of the game:

Plot

The Prisoner

The game would have begun with the player character in a prison cell. Because of this the player was given a choice. The prisoner could be an innocent that was imprisoned because of some misunderstanding, or they could choose to be a criminal and take bonus traits that would bolster some of their skills.

The player would awaken in a prison cell, but not the one they remembered falling asleep in. Suddenly the floor rocks violently from an explosion and the player is knocked unconscious. When they awaken, they find their cell door open and a hole in the wall leading outside. Leaving the prison, the character is under attack by some unknown assailant. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, the player flees into the night to explore this new world.

Unfortunately, this newfound freedom may be short lived. The player is relentlessly pursued by robots who want to return them to the prison. As they explore the world and try to outwit their pursuers, they begin to uncover an underlying plot. Why was the character in a different prison than the one they fell asleep in? Why can't they remember being transferred? What was the attack on the prison about in the first place? Then they find out about NCR's problems, and a few things don't add up....

Just like all the titles in the Fallout series, the story ends with multiple different endings for every community and faction that you interacted with. Their outcome depends on your actions.

Main article: Van Buren endings

Presper's plan

VB DD16 npc Victor Presper 1

Victor Presper

Eventually, the player would discover the true reason behind the prison and the attack on it. It turns out that through extensive research, the mad scientist called Presper, disgusted with what the world turned into after the War, discovered the history of New Plague, the virus that FEV was initially created to cure, and its genocidal potency, and also discovered a viable means to cleanse the world. Using ULYSSES, the quarantine prison, and a ballistic satellite known as B.O.M.B.-001, the way to human planetary domination and order became clear. He needed to get to B.O.M.B.-001 and use the nuclear weapons to clean the filth and wretch that currently have occupied the surface.

Presper and his followers released the New Plague virus in the remote areas near Boulder and Denver. It was close enough to the quarantine prison to spur ULYSSES into action, but not near enough to cause huge populations to start a general panic. Once enough people were infected and ULYSSES “arrested” enough people to just about fill up the prison, Presper’s men would stage an attack on the prison which would allow everyone to escape. This event would start a countdown of sorts for missile launch on B.O.M.B.-001. ULYSSES would assess the viral spread, try to gather up the escaped prisoners, and once 90% of the prisoners had been retrieved, launch nuclear missiles to “clean & prevent” any further infection. By the time this happened Presper had planned to be on, and in full control, of B.O.M.B.-001 and reprogramming targeting solutions to clean the areas he wanted. Humans of his choosing would wait out the second nuclear holocaust in the Boulder Dome, until the day came where he declared the Earth safe for pure blood humans once more.

Tech demo

Main article: Van Buren tech demo

A tech demo of Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios, was created during the game's development. When asked about it, Bethesda's Pete Hines replied: "(...) releasing someone else's unfinished product, or assets from it, is not something we intend to do." Several screenshots and one video of the tech demo have been released at No Mutants Allowed on April 30, 2007, followed by the tech demo itself on May 2.

The plot of the tech demo is not connected to the main storyline and was going to be included in the finished game as a tutorial. It takes place in the United States during the Great War, somewhere in the Great Midwest Commonwealth or the Pacific Time Zone[3]. The player character in the demo is referred to only as Citizen (even though the Citizen uses the Prisoner's model). The Citizen's parents were reduced to ash, as they didn't believe the government's bombing raid sirens. The Citizen made his way to the relocation center and is escorted to a Vault by Corporal Armstrong of the 4th or 13th Armored Infantry Division. To reach the Vault, they must fight communist insurgents. After they enter the Vault, the Citizen must help turn on the life support system.

There are several things of note in the tech demo. The first is that the female PC appears naked from the waist up, without the prisoner suit with the "13" legend. The second and most curious is that the male PC's character portrait appears to be Eric Wu from Eric Conveys an Emotion (or simply Emotion Eric). The female PC has no character portrait whatsoever.

Character system

Main article: Van Buren SPECIAL

The game used a highly modified version of SPECIAL, the character system used in previous Fallout games. The changes were introduced mostly by J.E. Sawyer. Some of his changes were accepted well in the Fallout community, while some, such as merging combat skills and dividing Speech into Deception and Persuasion, were quite controversial.

Notes

  • One of the more significant elements of the plot and back story of Van Buren was to be the war between the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel. One of the main designers, Chris Avellone mentioned that aspects from Van Buren would appear in Fallout: New Vegas such as the NCR- BoS war and a companion from Van Buren, Joshua Graham appears in heavily modified form, as does an antagonistic faction known as Caesar's Legion.
  • The name Van Buren derives from Martin Van Buren, who was the 8th president of the United States of America. Interplay projects were given code names based on the surnames of American presidents during their development phase.
  • President Van Buren's lack of political support is partially what led the Mormons to leave Missouri and settle in Utah. This may be why his name was chosen as the code name for a Fallout game that was to heavily reference the religion.

Gallery

Video

A short video demonstrating the Van Buren tech demo created by Black Isle in 2003. Presented by No Mutants Allowed.

Sources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 [1]
  2. Interview with John Deiley at GameBanshee
  3. Respectively - place of Armstrong's origin or the time zone on Citizen's Lil' Pip 3000 (Pacific Standard Time).
Van Buren
Gametitle-VBGametitle-VB