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{{For|about=the game|an overview of our ''Van Buren''-related articles|Portal:Van Buren}}
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{{For|about=the game|an overview of ''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 (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
  +
|platforms ={{Icon|windows|tooltip=Windows}} Windows
|rating =None
 
  +
|engine =[[Jefferson Engine]]}}
|platforms =Windows
 
}}{{Games|VB}}
 
   
'''''Van Buren''''' was the project name [[Black Isle Studios]] assigned to their version of ''[[Fallout 3]]''.
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'''''Van Buren''''' is the codename [[Black Isle Studios]] assigned to their second iteration of ''Fallout 3''. It saw development by Black Isle Studios until its cancelation in December 8, 2003 and would have been published by [[Interplay Entertainment]].
   
  +
==Development==
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 it was never used.
 
  +
Black Isle Studios planned to include a dual-combat system in the game that allowed for the player to choose between real-time ([[Bethesda Softworks]]' ''[[Fallout series|Fallout]]'' games and [[Micro Forté]] and [[14° East]]'s ''[[Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel|Fallout Tactics]]'') or [[turn-based combat]] (''[[Fallout]]'' and ''[[Fallout 2]]'') but real-time was only included due to [[Interplay Entertainment|Interplay]]'s demands.<ref name=NMA>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210904114821/https://www.nma-fallout.com/threads/briareus-speaks-out.152662/#post3023869 Briareus speaks out, NMA]</ref> The game would have used the [[Jefferson Engine]], similar to ''Baldur's Gate 3''. The game's emphasis was turn-based play, and cooperative multiplayer was planned for inclusion.<ref name=NMA/> On December 8, 2003, the game was canceled due to financial difficulties at Interplay Entertainment.{{citation needed}}
   
 
==Tech demo==
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 and 2). Due to [[Interplay]]'s demands though, [[Josh 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.
 
 
{{see|Van Buren tech demo}}
 
A tech demo of ''Van Buren'' 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."{{citation needed}} Several screenshots and one video of the tech demo were released at No Mutants Allowed on April 30, 2007, followed by the tech demo itself on May 2.
  +
<!--==Gameplay==**Do not re-add the following quotes from Sawyer without referencing them appropriately**
  +
===Combat===
  +
The following describes known details about the game's combat, largely based on forum discussions of fans with [[Joshua Sawyer|J.E. Sawyer]].{{citation needed}}
   
  +
===Action Points===
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. You 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>
 
  +
J.E. Sawyer said: "The biggest stumbling block in Fallout TB -> RT is movement and AP. So far, the best movement translation seems to be this: high AP characters move faster since, for practical purposes, they do in both TB and RT. A 10 AP character will move 10 hexes in TB over one round while a 6 AP character will move 6 hexes in TB over one round. If that is converted into real-time, the 10 AP character will move 10 hexes in six seconds and the 6 AP character will move 6 hexes in six seconds. That's an analogue.
   
  +
However, the general tendency in RT combat systems is that movement can't "really" cost anything. When characters move hurky-jerky around the battlefield, stopping to pause for precious APs that they immediately burn, it becomes a little... bizarre. So, what then can be the cost? The best answer I can find is: AP regeneration. A moving character never regenerates AP. He or she can run and run and run all the live-long day at whatever rate is dictated by his or her base AP, but he or she won't gain a single AP back until he or she stops (or perhaps the regeneration rate still exists, but at a pitiful fraction of its total value).
==Setting==
 
''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 [[Van Buren design documents|design documents]] it was to be set in the year [[Timeline#2253|2253]].
 
   
  +
Higher AP characters would still catch up to fleeing characters in less time and either attack or easily re-accumulate APs that will eventually result in an attack into the fleeing character's back. A character who gleefully shoots a submachinegun burst and then runs for the hills will have to stop and wait for a full six seconds to get his or her AP pool back. If two characters with expended AP pools run the same distance, the higher base AP character will arrive at the location first and regenerate the equivalent AP for time saved by the time the slower character arrives.
Some places that appeared in ''Van Buren'':
 
* The [[Prison|Tibbets Facility]] (the Prison)
 
* [[Denver]] ([[Dog Town]])
 
* [[Boulder Dome]]
 
* [[Hoover Dam (Van Buren)|Hoover Dam]] (the [[New California Republic|NCR]])
 
* The [[Grand Canyon]]
 
* [[Twin Mothers]] ([[Vault 29]])
 
* The [[Nursery]]
 
* The [[Reservation]]
 
* [[Jericho (town)|Jericho]]
 
* [[Maxson's Bunker]]
 
* [[Fort Abandon]]
 
* [[Mesa Verde]]
 
* [[Ouroboros]]
 
* [[Blackfoot]] village
 
* [[Burham Springs]]
 
* [[Bloomfield Airbase]]
 
* [[Ballistic Orbital Missile Base 001]]
 
   
  +
This is not a perfect analogue, but it's really not horrible, and again, it has no effect on the TB component of the game. People playing using the RT system will find that certain scenarios play out easier, and some scenarios play out with more difficulty. Ultimately, though, it still has more fidelity to TB SPECIAL than any RT D&D game has to TB D&D.
Places cut from the final version of the game:
 
* [[New Canaan]] and [[Jericho desalination plant]] (merged into town of [[Jericho (town)|Jericho]])
 
* [[Hangdog Village]] (design documents for Hangdog and Blackfoot tribes were merged)
 
* [[Circle Junction]] ("[[Iron Lines]]" place)
 
* The [[Crater]]
 
* [[Moletown]]
 
* [[Caesar's Legion]] location
 
   
==Plot==
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===Unarmed===
  +
If the advantage of firearms is range and damage at the cost of ammo conservation, and the advantage of melee is in reliability and good potential damage from powered weapons at the cost of (usually) range and less overall damage than firearms, then (IMO), the advantage of unarmed should be in flexibility at the cost of range and damage.
{{VB}}
 
   
  +
The highly skilled unarmed character should always have at least two moves to perform for each AP level between 2 and 10. Because interface limitations can be overcome in a future Fallout title, the unarmed character should have access to half of these attacks with one click-hold-release. Each move should have its own benefits and drawbacks so that a healthy amount of the moves stay useful throughout the game. The moves could be split into these groups: hand attacks, hand combos, foot attacks, foot combos and hand-foot combos. For example, the character could have Jab, Cross, Uppercut, Elbow Smash, Backhand, Sucker Punch, Spearhand, and Ridgehand as standard hand attacks, each with their own AP cost, bonus or penalty to hit, DT modifier, and damage. However, the character could also gain "two-in-one" combos.
===The Prisoner===
 
The game would have begun with the player 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.
 
   
  +
For instance, Jab-Elbow. The combo would do both moves, each at a different hex. The Jab would go into the targeted hex, and the Elbow Smash would go into the hex back and to the right. The combo would cost less AP than both moves individually, but it would be at a lower chance to hit with each attack, and would incur a fatigue cost. Another combo might be Cross-Backhand-Ridgehand, hitting the first hex targeted, the hex to the right, and the hex two more to the right.
The player would awaken in a [[Tibbets|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.
 
   
  +
Kicks could have the same general layout (with different moves, of course). The kicks don't even have to be crazy wire-fu'ed out. They can just be regular ol' kicks. Snap Kick, Axe Kick, Roundhouse, Back Kick, Side Kick, Hook Kick, etc. You could have the same sorts of combos. Roundhouse-Hook, Side-Back, Snap-Side-Axe.
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 [[New California Republic|NCR]]'s problems, and a few things don't add up....
 
   
  +
The most complex combos would only be available when the character was fighting with no equipment in either hand, allowing hand-foot combos that could hit four, five, or even six hexes. Axe-Backhand-Round-Spear, Cross-Round-Back-Jab-Uppercut, Uppercut-Elbow-Side-Axe-Ridge-Spear. The high-skill complex combo unarmed character is like a mobile low-powered grenade, able to hit the hexes he or she wants when he or she wants from round to round. He or she never runs out of ammo, but has to accept that at high efficiency, he or she is accumulating fatigue and doing less damage than a comparable melee or firearms character. But with more than thirty moves to perform at high levels, never needing to equip or reload weapons, the unarmed character has ultimate flexibility for dealing with any close-range encounter with small to very large numbers of opponents.
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|Van Buren endings}}
 
   
===Presper's plan===
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===Aimed shots===
  +
I believe that the different called shots should be made more useful overall. Eyes is clearly "the way to go" in the first two Fallout games. It shouldn't just be a "well, duh" choice. Limb crippling should be more common, IMO. Blinding should also have even more dramatic penalties, but the chance to hit the eyes should be reduced even more.
[[File:VB DD16 npc Victor Presper 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Victor Presper]]
 
   
  +
===Critical hits===
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 [[Forced Evolutionary Virus|FEV]] was initially created to cure, and its genocidal potency, and also discovered a viable means to cleanse the world. Using [[ULYSSES]], the [[Tibbets Prison|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.
 
  +
Well, overall I can say I'd like to see fewer damage multipliers, more crippled limbs, more severe penalties to hit the eyes, and crits that ignore a portion of the armor, but never bypass it completely.
   
  +
===Fatigue===
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.
 
  +
Fatigue isn't something you accrue by doing mundane things. It increases as you do things like come down from chems (and super-stims), perform extremely strenuous actions (unarmed combos), and "bash" damage that's a portion of the damage absorbed by armor.
   
  +
It goes up, hit points go down. Fatigue is lowered by your Healing Rate every round. If your Fatigue passes your current hit points, momma said knock you out. When your Fatigue drops below your current hit points, you wake up again."{{citation needed}}-->
==Tech demo==
 
{{Main|Van Buren tech demo}}
 
<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.
 
   
  +
==Gameplay==
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" />
 
  +
''Van Buren'' would have taken place in the American southwest, where the westernmost sites on the game map served as the easternmost borders of [[New California Republic]].<ref name="seanreynolds">[https://web.archive.org/web/20211118153642/http://www.nma-fallout.com/threads/sean-k-reynolds-interview-at-dac.157548/ Sean K. Reynolds interview at DAC]: ''"Question: What parts of the country does the player get to explore first hand in Van Buren? Also, would there be any references to other part's of the country, both those seen in FO/FO2 and other unseen parts?''"<br />Sean K. Reynolds: ''"It takes place in the American southwest (Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah) ... the westernmost sites on the game map are the easternmost borders of NCR, and problems with NCR have a lot to do with what's going on in the game. There are references to the midwest (for a while there was a significant faction from the midwest in the game, but when we realized the size and story had gotten too big we cut them out but left some links in to make an easier transition to FO4). In fact, one of the links is there because of the radioactive twisters Cassidy mentions in FO2.''"</ref> According to the [[Van Buren design documents|design documents]], it would have been set in the year [[Timeline#2253|2253]].
{{VB|end}}
 
   
  +
===SPECIAL===
==Character system==
 
 
{{main|Van Buren SPECIAL}}
 
{{main|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.
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The game used a highly modified version of [[SPECIAL]] (the character system used in the previous ''Fallout'' games) the changes were introduced mostly by [[Joshua Sawyer|J.E. Sawyer]]. Some of his changes include merging combat skills and dividing [[Speech]] into [[Van Buren skills#Diplomacy skills|Deception]] and [[Persuasion]].
   
==Notes==
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===Races===
  +
''Van Buren'' was at some point planned to have three playable races, including humans, ghouls and super mutants.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffu_KTdRwik The Original Fallout 3 - Investigating Fallout Van Buren - YouTube]</ref>
*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|BoS]]. 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.
 
  +
==Story==
* 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.
 
  +
<imagemap>
  +
File:World map.jpg|right|440px|Interactive Van Buren world map
 
circle 295 60 25 [[Jericho (town)|Jericho]]
  +
circle 653 205 25 [[Nursery]]
  +
circle 463 249 25 [[Burham Springs]]
  +
circle 555 292 25 [[Ouroboros]]
  +
circle 557 531 25 [[Fort Abandon]]
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circle 722 531 25 [[Mesa Verde]]
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circle 843 495 25 [[Twin Mothers Village]]
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circle 842 652 25 [[Reservation]]
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circle 507 570 25 [[Tibbets Prison]]
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circle 439 699 25 [[Maxson bunker]]
  +
circle 435 459 25 [[Blackfoot Village]]
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circle 293 628 25 [[Grand Canyon (Van Buren)|Grand Canyon]]
  +
circle 175 862 25 [[Bloomfield Space Center|Bloomfield]]
  +
circle 56 673 25 [[Hoover Dam (Van Buren)|Hoover Dam]]
  +
circle 912 176 25 [[Boulder]]
  +
circle 960 245 25 [[Denver (Van Buren)|Denver]]
  +
desc bottom-right
  +
</imagemap>
  +
 
===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 [[Tibbets|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.
  +
  +
===Presper's plan===
 
{{Main|Van Buren endings}}
 
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 [[Victor Presper|Presper]], disgusted with what the world turned into after the War, discovered the history of [[New Plague]], the virus that [[Forced Evolutionary Virus|FEV]] was initially created to cure, and its genocidal potency, and also discovered a viable means to cleanse the world. Using [[ODYSSEUS]], the [[Tibbets Prison|quarantine prison]], and a ballistic satellite known as ''[[Ballistic Orbital Missile Base 001|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 (Van Buren)|Denver]]. It was close enough to the quarantine prison to spur ODYSSEUS into action, but not near enough to cause huge populations to start a general panic. Once enough people were infected and ODYSSEUS "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''. ODYSSEUS 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 pureblood humans once more.
  +
  +
==Locations==
  +
{{columns|4|
  +
* [[Vault 1 (Van Buren)|Vault 1]]
  +
* [[Vault 29 (Van Buren)|Vault 29]]
  +
* [[Vault 70]] <ref name="desdoc">[[New Canaan design document]] p. 4</ref>
  +
* [[Tibbets Prison]]
 
* [[Denver (Van Buren)|Denver]] ("Dog Town")
 
* [[Boulder]] ([[Boulder Dome]])
 
* [[Hoover Dam (Van Buren)|Hoover Dam]]
 
* The [[Grand Canyon (Van Buren)|Grand Canyon]]
 
* [[Twin Mothers Village]]
 
* The [[Nursery]]
 
* [[Circle Junction]]
 
* The [[Reservation]]
  +
* [[Jericho (town)|Jericho]] ([[New Canaan (Van Buren)|New Canaan]])
 
* [[Maxson bunker]]
 
* [[Fort Abandon]]
 
* [[Mesa Verde]]
  +
* [[Cheyenne Mountain#Crater|Crater]]
 
* [[Ouroboros]]
 
* [[Moletown]]
  +
* [[Blackfoot Village]] ([[Hangdog Village]])
 
* [[Burham Springs]]
 
* [[Bloomfield Space Center]]
 
* [[Ballistic Orbital Missile Base 001]]
  +
}}
  +
  +
==Characters==
  +
{{columns|3|
  +
* [[Media:Alexandra - Mesa Verde.pdf|Alexandra]]
  +
* [[Media:Beatrice - Hoover Dam.pdf|Beatrice]]
  +
* [[CRB-S]]
  +
* [[Devil Dog]]
  +
* [[Kurisu]]
  +
* [[Measles]]
  +
* [[Job]] aka Jobe (Mr Handy)
  +
* [[Otto Steed]]
  +
}}
  +
  +
==Behind the scenes==
  +
* Before the 2010 release of ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'', [[Chris Avellone]], one of the main designers, mentioned that aspects from ''Van Buren'' would appear in ''Fallout: New Vegas''. The NCR-Brotherhood War, the main framing device of ''Van Buren'', is mentioned numerous times throughout the game, and a companion from ''Van Buren'', [[Joshua Graham (Van Buren)|Joshua Graham]], appears, as does [[Caesar's Legion (Van Buren)|Caesar's Legion]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120710092903/https://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/fallout_new_vegas/preview-2326.html Fallout: New Vegas Preview at videogamer.com (archived)]</ref>
 
* 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.{{citation needed}}
  +
* At the pre-production stage vast majority of locations were drafted by Chris Avellone ([[Circle Junction]], [[Fort Abandon]], [[Big MT]], the [[Daughters of Hecate]] and [[Caesar's Legion (Van Buren)|Caesar's Legion]], the [[Denver (Van Buren)|Denver]] Salvager Camp, [[Boulder Dome]], [[Tibbets Prison|Leavenworth Prison]]) as well as some character concepts (Corp. [[Christine Royce]], [[Alaya|Alkaya]], [[Job]], [[Xian]], the [[Joshua Graham (Van Buren)|Hanged Man]], [[Eddie Galenski|Eddie “Crazy Horse” Galenski]] and his “wife,” [[Helen Wheels]], Gen. [[Coleridge]], Capt. [[Davidson]], Lt. [[Pierce (Van Buren)|Pierce]], Maj. [[Robert Briggs|Briggs]], and Matthias Huxley aka [[Victor Presper|Dr. Presper]]).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151105184256/http://www.nma-fallout.com/article.php?id=12668 Fallout Developers Profile - Chris Avellone]</ref>
  +
* Design document numbered 13 was not part of the released documents, no were those rotating Fort Abandon, Circle Junction and the [[Grand Canyon (Van Buren)|Grand Canyon]].
  +
* The Boulder design document mentions "Josh's Ulysses Part 2" as a source of information concerning [[ODYSSEUS]] AI.
  +
* [[Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2]], another canceled game, would have incorporated story elements from ''Van Buren'', such as [[Caesar's Legion (Van Buren)|Caesar's Legion]] in the form of the Caesar Raiders, the [[Jackals]] and the [[Nursery]].<ref>[[Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2 design document]] pp. 13, 21, 26</ref>
  +
* In the demo, the male PC's character portrait is that of Eric Wu from ''Eric Conveys an Emotion''. The female PC is naked from the waist up, without the prisoner suit with the "13". The female PC also has no character portrait.
  +
* ''Van Buren'' was Black Isle Studios' second attempt at ''Fallout 3''. The original attempt was created using the NDL 3D technology later acquired by Gamebryo and used to power ''Fallout 3''. Due to financial issues at Interplay, the studio redirected their efforts on the project to produce the dungeon-crawling RPG ''Icewind Dale''.<ref name="IGN">[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/01/27/obsidian-ceo-reveals-fallout-3-that-never-released-a-ign-unfiltered IGN article]</ref>
  +
* Sean K. Reynolds mentioned plans for a sequel to the game, ''Fallout 4'', in an interview with Duck And Cover in 2004.<ref name="seanreynolds" /><ref>[[Denver design document/1#Drama|Denver design document]], page 9</ref>
   
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="left">
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<gallery>
VB 1.jpg|Van Buren Image
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VB Tech demo screenshot 4.jpg|Van Buren image
VB 2.jpg|Van Buren Image
+
VB Tech demo screenshot 3.jpg|Van Buren image
VB 3.jpg|Van Buren Image
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VB Tech demo screenshot 2.jpg|Van Buren image
VB 5.jpg|Van Buren Loading Screen
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VB Loading screen.jpg|Van Buren loading screen
van buren.JPG|Van Buren Character Menu Screen
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VB Tech demo screenshot 5.jpg|Van Buren image
Van_Buren_Fallout_3_4.jpg|Van Buren Image
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Van Buren male character screen.jpg|Van Buren character menu screen, male
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VB Mesa Verde map viewer.jpg|Van Buren map loader
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VB DD05 map Vault 29.png|Vault 29 map
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Vault 1.png|Vault 1 demo
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
   
==Video==
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==Videos==
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 the website No Mutants Allowed.
  +
[[File:Black Isle's Van Buren|350px|left]]
<youtube>1uuDKrY7eW0</youtube>
 
 
{{Clear}}
   
==Sources==
+
==See also==
* [http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/dload.php?action=category&cat_id=61 ''Van Buren'' design documents] at No Mutants Allowed
+
* [[Design document#Van Buren|Van Buren design documents]]
  +
* [[:Category:Van Buren dialogue files|Van Buren dialogue files]]
* [http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35970 ''Van Buren'' tech demo] at No Mutants Allowed
 
  +
* [[:Category:Van Buren demo dialogue files|Van Buren demo dialogue files]]
* [http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35934 ''Van Buren'' tech demo video] at No Mutants Allowed
 
  +
* [[:Category:Van Buren Pip-Boy entries|Van Buren Pip-Boy entries]]
* [http://www.duckandcover.cx/content.php?id=62 Duck and Cover interview] with [[Sean K. Reynolds]]
 
  +
* [[Van Buren holotapes]]
* [http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/johndeiley1.php GameBanshee interview] with [[John Deiley]]
 
  +
* [http://www.nma-fallout.com/article.php?id=8804 No Mutants Allowed interview] with [[Ferret Baudoin]]
 
  +
==External links==
* Leaks from the [http://www.nma-fallout.com No Mutants Allowed] forum
 
  +
* [https://www.moddb.com/games/van-buren/downloads/van-buren-tech-demo ''Van Buren'' tech demo] at ModDB
 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050122050909/http://www.duckandcover.cx/content.php?id=62 Duck and Cover interview] with [[Sean K. Reynolds]] (archived)
 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060616003706/http://gamebanshee.com/interviews/johndeiley1.php GameBanshee interview] with [[John Deiley]] (archived)
 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170904230314/http://archive.nma-fallout.com/article.php?id=8804 No Mutants Allowed interview] with [[Ferret Baudoin]] (archived)
   
 
==References==
 
==References==
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Latest revision as of 06:45, 24 December 2023

Van Buren is the codename Black Isle Studios assigned to their second iteration of Fallout 3. It saw development by Black Isle Studios until its cancelation in December 8, 2003 and would have been published by Interplay Entertainment.

Development

Black Isle Studios planned to include a dual-combat system in the game that allowed for the player to choose between real-time (Bethesda Softworks' Fallout games and Micro Forté and 14° East's Fallout Tactics) or turn-based combat (Fallout and Fallout 2) but real-time was only included due to Interplay's demands.[1] The game would have used the Jefferson Engine, similar to Baldur's Gate 3. The game's emphasis was turn-based play, and cooperative multiplayer was planned for inclusion.[1] On December 8, 2003, the game was canceled due to financial difficulties at Interplay Entertainment.[citation needed]

Tech demo

A tech demo of Van Buren 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."[citation needed] Several screenshots and one video of the tech demo were released at No Mutants Allowed on April 30, 2007, followed by the tech demo itself on May 2.

Gameplay

Van Buren would have taken place in the American southwest, where the westernmost sites on the game map served as the easternmost borders of New California Republic.[2] According to the design documents, it would have been set in the year 2253.

SPECIAL

Main article: Van Buren SPECIAL

The game used a highly modified version of SPECIAL (the character system used in the previous Fallout games) the changes were introduced mostly by J.E. Sawyer. Some of his changes include merging combat skills and dividing Speech into Deception and Persuasion.

Races

Van Buren was at some point planned to have three playable races, including humans, ghouls and super mutants.[3]

Story

JerichoNurseryBurham SpringsOuroborosFort AbandonMesa VerdeTwin Mothers VillageReservationTibbets PrisonMaxson bunkerBlackfoot VillageGrand CanyonBloomfieldHoover DamBoulderDenverInteractive Van Buren world map
About this image

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.

Presper's plan

Main article: Van Buren endings

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 ODYSSEUS, 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 ODYSSEUS into action, but not near enough to cause huge populations to start a general panic. Once enough people were infected and ODYSSEUS "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. ODYSSEUS 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 pureblood humans once more.

Locations

Characters

Behind the scenes

  • Before the 2010 release of Fallout: New Vegas, Chris Avellone, one of the main designers, mentioned that aspects from Van Buren would appear in Fallout: New Vegas. The NCR-Brotherhood War, the main framing device of Van Buren, is mentioned numerous times throughout the game, and a companion from Van Buren, Joshua Graham, appears, as does Caesar's Legion.[5]
  • 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.[citation needed]
  • At the pre-production stage vast majority of locations were drafted by Chris Avellone (Circle Junction, Fort Abandon, Big MT, the Daughters of Hecate and Caesar's Legion, the Denver Salvager Camp, Boulder Dome, Leavenworth Prison) as well as some character concepts (Corp. Christine Royce, Alkaya, Job, Xian, the Hanged Man, Eddie “Crazy Horse” Galenski and his “wife,” Helen Wheels, Gen. Coleridge, Capt. Davidson, Lt. Pierce, Maj. Briggs, and Matthias Huxley aka Dr. Presper).[6]
  • Design document numbered 13 was not part of the released documents, no were those rotating Fort Abandon, Circle Junction and the Grand Canyon.
  • The Boulder design document mentions "Josh's Ulysses Part 2" as a source of information concerning ODYSSEUS AI.
  • Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2, another canceled game, would have incorporated story elements from Van Buren, such as Caesar's Legion in the form of the Caesar Raiders, the Jackals and the Nursery.[7]
  • In the demo, the male PC's character portrait is that of Eric Wu from Eric Conveys an Emotion. The female PC is naked from the waist up, without the prisoner suit with the "13". The female PC also has no character portrait.
  • Van Buren was Black Isle Studios' second attempt at Fallout 3. The original attempt was created using the NDL 3D technology later acquired by Gamebryo and used to power Fallout 3. Due to financial issues at Interplay, the studio redirected their efforts on the project to produce the dungeon-crawling RPG Icewind Dale.[8]
  • Sean K. Reynolds mentioned plans for a sequel to the game, Fallout 4, in an interview with Duck And Cover in 2004.[2][9]

Gallery

Videos

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

See also

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Briareus speaks out, NMA
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sean K. Reynolds interview at DAC: "Question: What parts of the country does the player get to explore first hand in Van Buren? Also, would there be any references to other part's of the country, both those seen in FO/FO2 and other unseen parts?"
    Sean K. Reynolds: "It takes place in the American southwest (Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah) ... the westernmost sites on the game map are the easternmost borders of NCR, and problems with NCR have a lot to do with what's going on in the game. There are references to the midwest (for a while there was a significant faction from the midwest in the game, but when we realized the size and story had gotten too big we cut them out but left some links in to make an easier transition to FO4). In fact, one of the links is there because of the radioactive twisters Cassidy mentions in FO2."
  3. The Original Fallout 3 - Investigating Fallout Van Buren - YouTube
  4. New Canaan design document p. 4
  5. Fallout: New Vegas Preview at videogamer.com (archived)
  6. Fallout Developers Profile - Chris Avellone
  7. Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2 design document pp. 13, 21, 26
  8. IGN article
  9. Denver design document, page 9
Van Buren
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