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Bethesda has released a few pieces of concept art to allow ardent fans a chance to see where their favourite people, locations and objects came from. Below you’ll find a selection of that artwork, the description that Bethesda gave and then my own thoughts. In each case you can click on the image to take you through to a bigger picture. I suggest doing this, especially on the landscape images.
Initial sketch of the New Vegas strip, showcasing Freeside and the iconic ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign
There must be a certain risk when developing a game that has any sort of familiar location in. To begin with, it can’t be too similar. No doubt, someone in Las Vegas would speak out against the game if you could run around killing whoever you wanted in an exact copy. Also, of course, you run risk of it being out of the character of the game if you model it too accurately. Similarly, if it’s too different then it may as well be a new location and you lose that “I recognise that!” bit of the game that will be enjoyed by countless people.
So there has to be such a supremely delicate balance, and in New Vegas it was pulled of supremely. This picture gives an example of just how much thought went into that.
Hoover Dam circa 2281 – as a major NCR outpost in the game, the site features significant defences to hold off the encroaching Caesar’s Legion. The location marks a major battleground between the two factions
Poster advertising Sunset Sarsaparilla, one of the pre-war Midwest’s most popular beverages. Vending machines can be found throughout the Wasteland and special ‘star’ bottlecaps are used in one of the game’s quests
The poster artwork was always fantastic in the Fallout games. New Vegas is no different, catching both the feel of both the 50′s influence that has been apparent within the whole series and the new Las Vegas based location.
‘Before’ and ‘after’ images of a California Highway Patrol car, powered by fusion technology. Auto wrecks litter the Interstate Highways that criss-cross the Wasteland
Final concept art for a Bighorner, one of the creatures in Fallout: New Vegas and part of the wildlife sometimes seen grazing in small herds across the Mojave. They are also bred by some farmers for their horns, meat and fur.
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November 21, 2010
#1
I, like most people who trawl extras menus, have seen way more concept art than is healthy, but it never fails to amaze me the sheet quantity of art that goes into making even one asset. The Before and After images really sum up that feeling for me – no one will even think about it in a casual playthrough of the game, but on a server somewhere are images of what every object looked like hundreds of years before the game is set.
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Mat Growcott Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 4:29 pm
@Tom Chudley, I always love the landscape images. I would quite happily hang that New Vegas Strip picture up on some appropriate wall, but 9 out of 10 people who play the game won’t even see it.
Please continue discussion on the forum: link
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