E-FIX NAILS IT: FALLOUT 4 PREDICTIONS REVISITED

Before this article gets moving i'd just like to preface it with something. Blogging is hard, a feature article at +1000 words with links to references and great images with an intriguing well researched idea takes lots of time; on average probably about 4 or 5 hours. It's also not enough just to be accurate, it needs to be funny, engaging. This isn't our job it's our hobby. Typically it's a one man show. We don't boast 15 posts a day, more like 15 posts a month if were lucky.

Enter Nick, who runs another blog from the East cost of the good ole USA. We thought cross posting each others material would benefit us both by increasing content and reducing some of the 'invented' stress we create for ourselves. So welcome to the fam. I'd call you a sister blog but you might get insulted. 

One of my favorite articles of his was this post from over a year ago. He predicted some spot on shit here. I've added the follow-through of his predictions below each image. There's a hyperlink attached to his name below to his Blog. Enjoy.

NOVEMBER 5, 2014 NICK DEMARCO

Starting way back since 2012, there have been numerous rumors, as well as some clever internet memes, surrounding the next Fallout, Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic RPG.  A midst all of the rumors, one common word seems to keep popping up; Boston.  It’s been pretty safe to say that the next Fallout game will be taking place in Boston, however it still hasn’t been confirmed.

However, it seems that there might be another piece of evidence that makes Boston seem like a lock.  Today, there was a trademark application filed for the brand “Fallout: Shadow of Boston” in Germany.  The application marks the trademark as “computer game discs” and “Downloadable Computer Game Programs”, which makes it seem like this might be the new name for the next Fallout.  It is seen that Bethesda Softworks LLC of Rockville, MD is the owner of the new trademark.

Up to this point, there has been little to no information about the game.  Bethesda has not talked about it, but they have mentioned that there will be one coming in the future.  This trademark sighting might just be the final nail in the coffin that will get them to announce the game officially though.

With that being said, let me just assume that Boston will be the next location for the famed Fallout franchise.  This is a great pick in my opinion, given the rich history of the city, as well as the surrounding landmarks and locations.  There is a lot that Bethesda could work with, and this gets me excited for what is to come.  So, what are some places that I would want to see in the next Fallout game, assuming that it takes place in Boston?

Well…

1. Fenway Park

Now this is probably one of the more iconic, and by far the oldest, baseball park in the U.S.  It is home to the Boston Red Sox, and there is a rich tradition that surrounds the park.  There is also the big Green Monster that takes over left field.  Now, who wouldn’t want to see this place in a post-apocalyptic atmosphere?  Yeah, it might be a little sad and depressing, but I am sure that I would get over it.  I could picture the park as a stronghold taken over by an enemy faction.  It would probably stand as a good “home-base” for any faction in particular.

He wont say i told you so but.....he fucking told you so! 'Sad'- check. 'Depressing'- definitely, but we got over that.'Home-base' - well the house that can be purchased in Daimond city is called 'home plate' so Nick, well give you that one! It was certainly taken over but not by enemies...although i pity the fools who get caught stealing here. They will run you out of town 

Im no baseball expert. But i believe this was the 'big green monster' that nick was talking about. Oddly enough there is a mission to retrieve green paint for this guy to restore the wall. 

2. Back Bay, Boston

This is the site of the affluent.  This area is a neighborhood of Boston and it is known for it’s Victorian brownstone homes.  The area looks really nice at night, especially next to the Charles River.  I would love to walk through these streets in the aftermath of a nuclear fallout.  Speaking of the Charles River…

Looks like the water receded a bit or i captured this at the wrong angle. One things for sure, Nuclear war shure sucks the colour out of the world. But its pretty damn accurate.

3. Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge

Assuming that the Charles River would be in the game, it would be safe to assume the magnificent Memorial Bridge would be crossing it, however, it would be a rundown version of the bridge.  I picture an Arefu situation (the small settlement located on a bridge over water) from Fallout 3.  There would probably be a small group of individuals taking advantage of the bridge.

Nailed this prediction too! Completely run down. I got jumped by some super mutants holed up in th station to the right. Newsflash; they died.

4. Old State House

This quaint looking building, now a museum, was the site of the Boston Massacre.  The building may not look all that interesting, besides that fact that it is from the Revolutionary Era, but there is a large chunk of history that surrounds the building.  It would be a surprise if this building survived a fallout, but perhaps it’s ruins could make it into the game?

Oh it survived. Found my bro Hancock inside. The settlers built a city around the historic site called 'goodneighbour' 

5. Harvard

One of the most highly recognized colleges in the U.S., known for it’s academic excellence, as well as it’s beauty.  Now, picture it in apocalypse mode.  Imagine walking through the buildings, peering into the classrooms, walking it’s grounds.  There would be a creepiness factor to the area, but it would be cool to walk through.

This was the closest i could get to the real thing. The campus is there and Harvard square comes up early in the game. There was an administrative building around the corner but this particular building is inaccessible.

6. John Hancock Tower

Here we have the tallest building in Boston.  It’s a modern marvel of engineering as it shoots up into the skyline of Boston.  However, given that it was finished in 1976, it may not appear in a Fallout game, considering that the fallout happened in the 50’s.  Still, if the team behind the game decides to take the series into the future a little bit, I would love to see what a hulking tower would look like in a game like this and what purpose it would serve.

Hancock tower is now an unrecognizable pillar that somehow survived the explosion. The only reason i thought this was Hancock tower was from pictures of the Trinity church right next to it. Got two birds stoned at once right here.

7. Logan Airport

Two airports, both Searchlight and Camp McCarran, appeared in Fallout New Vegas and their was only a brief mention of the Washington D.C. airport in Fallout 3, which was near Megaton.  So, naturally you would think there would be an airport in the next Fallout.  Logan Airport would fit the bill pretty nicely.  It’s a pretty spacious airport that could serve as a pretty nice camp.  Even if Logan Airport is not featured in the game, you can probably assume that there would be an airport of some kind.

This was the best shot i could get from the Brotherhood blimp. Almost unrecognizable, but its there!

8. MBTA and South Station

Subway stations seem to be a common staple in the Fallout games.  In Boston, the MBTA is the transportation authority that connects the city from below.  It would once again, act as a fast travel location to get around the world.  Boston’s South Station would probably be the hub station that connects them all together.  There were also elevated tracks back in the day, so perhaps those could be scattered around the world as well?

Nick almost nailed them all. But the South station was no where to be found. Guess something had to bite the dust. This shot was from what i could decipher by correlating an actual map of boston to the in game map. strangely it looks a lot like this

odd resemblance to ground zero

9. The Bar from Cheers?

Now this definitely will not appear in the next Fallout game, but it sure would be neat, huh?  The famous bar is the location and backdrop for the classic TV show Cheers.  There is definitely a lot of history that surrounds the bar, including a lot of famous people who have visited.  Maybe the bar won’t be called Cheers, but there could be a unique bar in the game?  Probably shouldn’t get my hopes up…

The bar is called 'Prost' which is German for Cheers. This might be one of my favorite easter eggs of all time.  You should have gotten your hopes up Nick...all the hopes! Your on fire here

The layout inside is quite accurate

Even Sams back office is very close to the real thing, boxes everywhere. It doesn't say Boston Redsocks but there is a catchers mitt. The filing cabinet is even there. 

Even Cliff and Norm are assuming their positions at the bar...amazing Bethesda, nerdy but amazing.

10. The Freedom Trail

Last, but definitely not least is the Freedom Trail.  The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile journey through the city that visits some of its most iconic and historic locations that have to do with the Revolutionary War.  Now, this is probably not the most exciting thing to have in a game, but it could serve as a cool little side quest for the players.  If they “check-in” at all sixteen spots on the trail, they could get an achievement or a trophy, almost like the “City Hot spots” feature in Watch Dogs.

The freedom trail IS in the game. In fact its a pretty huge part of the game. The quest begins here in the Square, and you do follow the trail, although worn and broken, still functions and many of the monuments are still there. No achievements to speak of but hell, ill give him the point.

There are probably a ton of locations that will appear in the game that I haven’t even thought of, but I am sure they will all be great to discover.  One of my favorite parts about the Fallout games is the atmosphere and a empowering sense of discovery that comes with it.

I look forward to more news about “Fallout: Shadow of Boston” and what the story will be like.  I also really hope that the location is Boston, because if that is not the case, then the whole second half of the article is irrelevant.  Lets all hope that doesn’t happen.

Nick Demarco Nov.5.2014

By E-Fix

VR-CADES

Prediction: VR-cades will be a thing in the coming years. Arcades as we know and love them have all but gone to the rapture, replaced by stale internet cafes or one dollar pizza places. An Arcade game should be so lucky, to find a loving home this day in age is rare, like finding a baby unicorn. Whether your PC's are ready for it or not, the VR train is steadily approaching. This coming fall the HTC Vive will be first out the gate and available publicly. But this wouldn't be the first time for a virtual reality peripheral. History tends to repeat itself. 

Way back when arcades were nefarious dungeons and the old Chinese guy at the quarter counter cut you short and there was a 9 kid line to play Mortal Kombat, VR was born. You probably don't remember it, because a human brain can only take so much nonsense before detouring shitty memories of empty promises. Enter 'Virtuality'. Introduced in the early 90's (and showcased in some theaters showing Terminator 2 in America) this 'VR' console attempted to capture the hearts of gamers. It didn't, the marketing was all flash, the games looked terrible and they made people sick. But hey, the user looked kind of cool ( for the 90's) wearing the gear. And that was the hook; games were shit but you got to sit in a 'vr pod' and wear a heavy, sweaty helmet for 3 min. Yes 3 min, Virtuality charged $5 bucks and let you play 3 miniutes. Which, in the early 90's was enough cash to get a six pack and crush it in the alley. This was a huge fail for any company trying to make a buck off a lie and when consumers began sharing there experiences amongst themselves Virtuality flopped, hard. Unfortunately, the technology at the time wasn't anywhere close to realizing the potential of our creativity. Until this Fall

In a year or two what will be happening will be a resurgence of the Arcade and Virtual Reality proper. VR is a different beast completely. Watching videos and trailers simply doesn't achieve the immersion level you keep hearing about from users these days. The only way to understand it is to experience it in person. It deffinately wont be for everyone so why would anyone throw $500 at something they might not even like? The HTC Vive uses a peripheral called 'Lighthouse'(the boxes on the right.) Essentially they are placed in a room and they map the space your physically standing in into the  virtual environment your experiencing. So your going to need a dedicated room for this already. Online the suggested size for the lighthouse tracking system is a 15x15 ft space. The headset itself will require no less than 3 separate inputs into a CPU: power, USB  and HDMI. The intelligent thing to do would be to have a tether on the ceiling with a swivel for these cables. If a company wants to injure their users then they should cause them to be blind and create tripping hazards, so when they throw up from nausea it'll be while tripping over said cables and falling against a wall; landing on an otherwise perfectly good and functioning computer. Childproofing resurgence is another prediction not suited for this particular article, but you heard it here first. Safety is going to be an issue here.

Problems are emerging rapidly.

HTC Vive, lighthouse and controllers.

Other very interesting and innovative peripherals are revealing themselves as well, some less recently than others. One of the most utilitarian and predictably ubiquitous being the Virtuix Omni. It's a stationary tread mill you might have seen on "Shark Tank" in 2013. They didn't get the bid. This seems like the most practical and natural extension to the VR experience. Allowing you to physically walk and run through the game environments safely (note the 'safety ring'). It's amazing... and expensive. Not to mention cumbersome. This unit costs $699 dollary-doos and the shipping costs alone will be insane if you don't live in the States. Also you need special shoes for it with plastic soles. You might be able to take them bowling! Were just not sure yet but keep your bowling fingers crossed.

Virtuix Omni

Contrasting the size of the Virtuix Omni perfectly is the 'Gloveone.' A hepatic feedback system attached to gloves that the user wears to experience tactile response in a virtual world. Oh and it's wireless! Hands down (pun intended) the most intriguing and technologically mind-fucking peripheral created so far. At $395 bones for the pair its not going to be a spontaneous purchase for many people. 

So to for full immersion and the complete VR experience were going to need some things. Valve in there wisdom has not yet revealed the price point or points for there HTC Vive headset but lets call it a comfy $500 US.  Then the controllers which who knows if they will be included. Lets say they will. The lazer-emitting lighthouse which may or may not come as a package with the Vive lets call that $150 US. Your going to need a 15x15ft room for the experience which can't really be priced. It would be fair to say none of us have a free room ready for VR dedication. Your certainly going to need the Virtuix Omni for running like a caged rat that's going to be $699. Lastly and not leastly you'll need a great PC if your a console gamer exclusively your going to have to wait another 6 or so months. As of now no big news about console VR peripherals has come. The latest PC specs from 'Road to VR' is suggesting:

• NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
• Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
• 8GB+ RAM
• Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output
• 2x USB 3.0 ports
• Windows 7 SP1 or newer

So that's, what? $2000 US. Finally you'll need those badass gloves mentioned earlier for $395. Now your ready, after spending about $3,750 before tax US for the full experience. For now, the Virtual frontier will more than likely happen through a business, hopefully near you.

The reality for the gamers at home though will be more modest. A consumer will be told by friends that they have to get a Vive or a Oculus or simply act on there curiosity and buy one for themselves. Most players will be contented to stay at home and add it to there entertainment arsenal forgoing the expensive 'add-ons.' But there's no way to truly understand the experience of full immersion until its been witnessed first hand. Hence the VAR-CADE! Remember that soft neon glow of the neighborhood arcade and now imagine it with rooms instead of video cabinets. Sure you might see 'quarter man' Jonny with a new job; dedicated to mopping up jizz off the 'porn room' floor or blood off the walls in the 'fighter room,' or Yak off the floor in the 'vomit simulator room.' Man this is gonna be exciting! Alternatively you could also be much less adventurous and make an incredibly elaborate long distance phone call (see below) totally your choice.

Keanu knows internet!