Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage XCN Q&A
Answered By: Jeff Gardiner, Lead PDLC Producer, Fallout 3
Before we get into Operation Anchorage specifically, how pleased are you with the reception Fallout 3 has received since its launch?
Jeff Gardiner: To say that we’re thrilled would be an understatement.
What’s been the thing that’s surprised you most about the community’s reaction to the game?
Jeff Gardiner: We’re very pleased that many of the old-school, hardcore fans are enjoying Fallout 3 in its own right. It’s also very cool that people who never played the original Fallout games have taken to the world and the game. We wanted to make a game that fans and newcomers alike would enjoy.
Fallout 3 is a massive game – why do you feel it’s the time to bring out the first PDLC pack? I’m 25 hours in and feel like I’ve hardly started…
Jeff Gardiner: We use our DLC to supplement a player’s existing game. It’s not something tacked on to the end. So, we craft our DLC with that in mind. You can gain new perks, find unique weapons and armour, and use all of these things to enhance and expand upon your experience through the main game as a whole.
Where did the inspiration for Operation Anchorage come from?
Jeff Gardiner: From the Fallout cannon. It’s a pivotal moment in the history of the Fallout universe, and one we felt we could do justice to with our current technology.
The Fallout games have hinted at and discussed the game world’s history but never explicitly allowed the player to experience it – how exciting (and challenging!) is it do finally allow Fallout fans to take part in the backstory of the pre-Holocaust world?
Jeff Gardiner: Operation: Anchorage takes place in a simulated world; using a technology that had been introduced along the main questline of Fallout 3. So our team felt it was a great opportunity to explore the backstory. The challenge was more in the rapid creation of a total new ‘asset set;’ the snow covered regions surround Anchorage, Alaska.
How will the player engage with the Operation Anchorage PDLC? Is it a standalone experience or tied to the main game?
Jeff Gardiner: It will drop right into the main game; the player will hear a distress beacon and get a new quest once the content is loaded. In and of itself Operation: Anchorage is a ‘side quest;’ so while the skills and weaponry gained by completing it can be used in the main game, it isn’t tied into the main game story wise.
Moving from the Wasteland to pre-holocaust Alaska must have been a big change for you – what will the player notice first and did you have to create completely new assets to illustrate the environment?
Jeff Gardiner: We had to create a huge amount of assets from scratch, which was part of the fun. We spent so much time in the brown devastated wastes that using a different colour palette was a welcome change. Once the player enters the simulation, they’ll notice the clear blue sky first. Then the snow and massive mountain range…
Can you tell us a little about the experience players will have in Operation Anchorage and what situations they will find themselves in?
Jeff Gardiner: The player will be tasked with taking the main Chinese stronghold outside of Anchorage. Along the way they’ll pick up new weaponry, and even get to command a small strike force of their choosing. They’ll be able to pick what type of team they’d like to create, and then how to utilize them in succeeding in their objective.
Fallout 3 was all about moral choices – is this a large factor in Operation Anchorage?
Jeff Gardiner: Operation: Anchorage is more straight-forward. There are moral choices along the way, but the bulk of the content is exploring a military ‘what-if’ scenario.
Will there be new weapons / items / apparel for players to use?
Jeff Gardiner: Oh yes! These include a very high powered scoped Gauss Rifle, a new Trench Knife, and a new set of armour that hasn’t been revealed but which will sure to please stealth fans…
Will there be new Perks to learn or skills that can be transferred back to the Wasteland?
Jeff Gardiner: There will be new perks that can be used in the main game. We haven’t said what those will be just yet.
We’ve heard players will be able to command small squads of troops – how will this work and do you plan to use this system in future pieces of PDLC?
Jeff Gardiner: The troop selection and utilization is unique to this DLC. The player will use a terminal to select different types of troops – heavy weaponry, snipers, etc. These can then be given specific objectives on the battlefield.
You’ve already announced three pieces of PDLC which seems really generous – why is PDLC so important to your games?
Jeff Gardiner: Our studio was born with a PC gamer mindset – and that mindset for years included Expansion Packs. We like to use our DLC to shed light on some of the dark corners of our game that don’t get discovered until we’re too close to completion to actually act on them. Operation: Anchorage is our first foray into this unexplored territory. Plus our games tend to be ones where players play for very, very long periods of time. They develop a character, or several of them on subsequent replays, and the ability to keep playing and experiencing new and different things with that character is something we really want to support.
Can you give us any hints about the content of the next two pieces of PDLC?
Jeff Gardiner: The DLC to come includes “The Pitt,” a very morally grey quest that will take the player into a huge slave camp located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our third DLC, “Broken Steel,” will continue the game past the end of the main quest. It will alter large chunks of the existing game, including increasing the level cap so that players will be able to adventure on and continue to explore the DC wasteland.
Finally… Megaton – did you or didn’t you?
Jeff Gardiner: I’ve had the pleasure of playing Fallout 3 for about 400 hours. So I have and haven’t. It’s a very tough decision. The payoff of watching Megaton melt in nuclear hellfire thrills my shadow-self. However, using Megaton as a hub for all of my activity makes playing the game easier in many ways…
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29 December 2008 00:54 
