Fallout 4 Rumors: Boston and Three Dog

Hardcore Wastelanders have been anticipating Fallout 4 since we finished the final add-on for Fallout: New Vegas, "Lonesome Road". Yesterday, Reddit user GNR_Informant posted claims about Fallout 4 that supposedly came from a friend who “works in Public Relations at Bethesda.”

GNR_Informant writes:

•First and foremost, the game will take place in Boston, and be kind of a direct sequel to Fallout 3 with a few groups returning. 

•From what it sounds like, "The Institute" is pretty much the downtown DC or New Vegas of this game. Boston is going to be unlike anything we've seen in a Fallout game before, with buildings more on par with cyberpunk and retro-futurism. 

•Androids play a big part in this game. The railroad from Fallout 3 is a faction. The enemies of the railroad is "the Plantation" -- a group who force Androids to farm so that Humans can get food. The Institute is highly advanced and probably obtained or built their own GECK to start a farm. 

•Due to complaints about using Super Mutants and the Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout 3 excessively and going against the lore too much, Bethesda has decided to avoid using these groups. Bethesda wants to make a new "race" (think Ghoul, Super Mutant) which will be central to Boston. Bethesda is currently looking at Lovecraftian fiction since Boston is around "Lovecraft Country". 

•Bethesda has no plans to reinvent the leveling up system to make it more like Skyrim and want to make Fallout 4 more distinct from Skyrim since of the complaints that Oblivion and Fallout 3 were too similar. Bethesda is thinking about introducing a system, similar to Skyrim, where your skills can level up if you perform certain tasks.

These are not the first indications that the next Fallout game will be set in and around Boston. Back in June of 2012, Reddit user nMarauder reported that representatives from Bethesda were scouting MIT as a potential setting for a future project. A second Reddit user--Fallout4boston--Xbox 720/Xbox Next and Playstation 4).out_4_will_take_place_in_boston/" target="_blank" title="Fallout 4 in Boston">corroborated nMarauder’s claim two months later.

GNR_Informant's post appears just three days after voice actor Erik Todd Dellums tweeted: “To all my #Fallout3 and #ThreeDog fans: There may be more of the Dog coming! Fingers crossed!” While Bethesda has yet to confirm any of these rumors, Dellums’s tweet indicates that Bethesda is in some stage of development for the next title in the popular Fallout series. At this point, it is only safe to say that any Fallout game that Bethesda has yet to announce will be developed and released for the next-gen consoles (Xbox 720/Xbox Next and Playstation 4).

Should We Expect Skyrim "Redguard"?

Almost two years ago, Skyrim publisher ZeniMax trademarked the title "Redguard." Bethesda's parent company has also extended that trademark since. This has sparked the rumor that an upcoming Skyrim DLC will be titled "Redguard." Here are some points favoring and opposing this rumor. 

“Redguard” is an Upcoming Skyrim DLC
1. ZeniMax do not have every term from the game trademarked for “downloadable computer software offered via the internet and wireless devices.” Redguard is part of an exclusive club of ZeniMax’s Skyrim trademarks along with Fus Ro Dah, Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn. Three of those trademarks are titles to past DLC.

2. There is a road leading out of Skyrim into Hammerfell. Just a short stroll west of Falkreath brings the Dragonborn to a wide, clear rode leading to the Hammerfell city of Elinhir.

3. A great Hammerfell-related storyline is introduced in the short quest “In My Time of Need.” Basically, the Dragonborn is caught in the middle of a game of treason being perpetrated either by Saadia--a Redguard woman who may have betrayed her noble family and her city to the Aldmeri--or by Kematu--the leader of an Alik’r search party that may have been hired by the Aldmeri to assassinate Saadia for speaking out against the Dominion. The quest seems to have no right answer and no consequences, but that could change if Hammerfell is opened up.

4. The Ebony Knight is an extremely powerful Redguard warrior that wants to fight the Dragonborn. He hopes to die in battle and then go to Sovngarde. Aside from being a great challenge, this makes no sense. Why would a Redguard warrior want to go to the Nordic realm of Aetherius? The Redguard realm of Aetherius is the Far Shores. The battle with the Ebony Knight may be the setup for a more extensive story to come.

“Redguard” is Not an Upcoming Skyrim DLC
1. ZeniMax trademarked Redguard so long ago, it is unlikely that it will be the name of a future DLC. An add-on title "Redguard" may have been the plan in March of 2011, but plans change. It is also possible that the Redguard trademark is for Elder Scrolls Online.

2. Why would ZeniMax decide to name a future DLC "Redguard" when they have already released a DLC named "Dawnguard"? Also, why would they name a Skyrim DLC "Redguard" when one of the past installments of the series was named The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard?

3. There are lots of roads leading out of Skyrim. Yes, one of those roads goes to Hammerfell, but there is also a road to High Rock, a road to Cyrodiil, and two roads into Morrowind. And you don’t even use either of those Morrowind roads to go to Solstheim!

4. There are so many larger threads in Skyrim's story that should be continued that a few small Redguard-related narratives do not seem like a likely course for an upcoming expansion. The two most important stories that need closure are the crowning of a new High King of Skyrim and revealing the ultimate fate of Alduin. The Dragonborn does not absorb his soul after killing him in Sovngarde. The World-Eater is still kicking around somewhere.

Conclusion
If any of the remaining Skyrim add-ons is named "Redguard," we will not be surprised. More likely, a couple of months of fan-boy ingenuity and digging will reveal details of the remaining Skyrim DLC far more interesting than what we can learn from a two-year-old ZeniMax trademark.

Skyrim Dragonborn Now Available for Xbox

Skyrim “Dragonborn” is Bethesda’s newest add-on for the popular open world role-playing game. The highly anticipated DLC hit the Xbox Live marketplace on December 4th. The events of “Dragonborn” take place on Solstheim, an island northeast of Skyrim and a part of the province of Morrowind, making “Dragonborn” the first Skyrim expansion set outside of the titular province. “Dragonborn” introduces new groups of NPCs, new enemies, new items, and new powers.

The central plot of “Dragonborn” revolves around Miraak, a Dragon Priest and the first Dragonborn. Miraak once ruled over Solstheim in the service of the Dragons before rebelling against them after receiving from the Daedric prince Hermaeus Mora the power to bend the will of animals, men, and dragons. Miraak attempted to enslave all of Tamriel, but was killed in his temple by Dragons who sought to punish him for his disobedience. But Miraak lived on in Apocrypha--Hermaeus Mora’s plane of Oblivion--and plotted his return.

The “Dragonborn” DLC initiates when the player has a random encounter with a group of cultists who work for Miraak. A note found on one of the cultists will lead you to Raven Rock, a mining colony on Solstheim. If you touch one of the five glowing pillars located in different parts of the island or go to sleep, you will suddenly awake to find yourself mindlessly working alongside other townspeople with Miraak’s voice in your head. It is your job to break Miraak’s control over the people and stop him from returning to conquer Tamriel.

New Additions to Skyrim
Aside from a huge new area of land to explore, “Dragonborn” introduces several new types of NPCs to Skyrim. Variations on already known groups, such as the Skaal (a tribe of Nords that practice a monotheistic, nature-focused religion) and the Reavers (groups that behave like the bandits of Skyrim, but are made up exclusively of Dunmer) are common. But there are also the goblin-like Rieklings and more new types of enemies including Serpentine Dragons, Lurkers (think creature from the black lagoon but taller), various types of exploding Spiders, and Ash Creatures.

“Dragonborn” also introduces quite a few new items such as a new weapon type--the spear--and four new types of Smithing: Bonemold and Chitin, which are only provide patterns for armor, and Nordic Carved and Stahlrim (ice enchanted to be extremely hard), which allow you to create both weapons and armor. New unique items such as the enchanted scimitars Soulrender and Bloodscythe or the Deathbrand armor set are very powerful. Plus, if you like playing as a Werewolf, the four purchasable Werewolf upgrade rings will make your beast form even more potent.

Some new spells bolster the Conjuration (Bound Dagger, Conjure Ash Guardian, etc) and Restoration (Ash, Frenzy, and Poison Runes) magic trees. Also, the new shouts introduced by the “Dragonborn” expansion are very promising. For a short time, the Dragon Aspect shout increases weapon and shout damage significantly and envelopes the player in a set of dragon armor. And the power that seemed to capture the attention of most gamers from the moment it was demonstrated at the 2012 Dice Summit in February is made available through the Bend Will shout. Using the Bend Will shout after one learns all three words of power allows the player to tame and ride a dragon.

This list only scratches the surface of the new Skyrim add-on. There is so much more to discover. “Dragonborn” can be purchased on Xbox marketplace for $19.99 or 1600 Microsoft points.

Skyrim fans may also have more DLC to look forward to in 2013. Bethesda promises, “... we also have some more stuff planned for everyone next year as well. We do everything we can to return the support you have given us, whether it’s The Creation Kit, Steam Workshop, game updates, or DLC.”

Update on “Dragonborn” for PC and PS3
Although neither “Dawnguard” nor “Hearthfire” have been ported for PS3, Bethesda has announced that “Dragonborn” will be made available for PC and Playstation 3 sometime in early 2013. In a blog post following the release of “Dragonborn,” Bethesda states, “On PS3 in particular, we turned our attention to Dragonborn, as we thought it was the best content to release first, and we didn’t want folks to wait longer.”

For the past few months, Bethesda has struggled to get “Dawnguard” and “Heartfire” ready for Playstation gamers. The decision to focus their energies on putting out “Dragonborn” first, may indicate that Bethesda made more of a conscious decision to program the newest expansion with the Playstation in mind.

If you still haven't played Skyrim, I can't recommend it more highly. Click on the image below to buy it today.

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Skyrim Dragonborn DLC Preview

The next Skyrim DLC has been revealed. After Bethesda posted a teaser image on November 2, the official trailer for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s new DLC “Dragonborn” premiered today.

The “Dragonborn” DLC is set on the snowy island of Solstheim, located east of Skyrim in the province of Morrowind. “Dragonborn” introduces a Dragon Priest who was the first Dragonborn. The Dragon Priest once ruled over Solstheim in the name of the Dragons. He is trying to return to Tamriel. The trailer features dragon mounts, various new types of armor, goblins throwing spears, and a few new enemy types. The DLC will be available for download on Xbox Live on December 4, 2012.

Gamers teased out “Dragonborn” details a while ago 
Not long after Skyrim hit the shelves, a curious PC gamer discovered that using console commands to crash the invisible wall at the border of Skyrim and Morrowind found near Stendarr’s Beacon. Beyond the border, he discovered a low resolution model of Solstheim. This led to early speculation that Skyrim DLC might take gamers back to areas from past installments of the Elder Scrolls series. 

Fewer rumors spawned from ZeniMax, Bethesda’s parent company, trademarking the term “Dragonborn” on May 18, 2012. As Dragonborn is a key term in Skyrim’s lore, it made sense for ZeniMax to protect their intellectual property. However, the trademark filing is limited to “computer game software for use with computers and video game consoles; downloadable computer game software offered via the internet and wireless devices.” 

User Mardoxx posted the first rumors of Skyrim’s upcoming DLC on a Bethesda Softworks forum. Mardoxx discovered various lines of code hinting at the Dragonborn DLC in the Beta version of the 1.8 update which Bethesda uploaded to Steam on October 15. Mardoxx identified the likely name of the DLC, a number of locations within Solstheim (Raven Rock, Miraak Temple, Castle Karstaag, and Telvanni Tower), four new armor types (Bonemold, Chitin, Nordic, and Stalhrim), and code indicating the addition of dragon mounts. Despite some initial skepticism among forum users, others confirmed that the files could be found within the 1.8 update. Bethesda made no comment on these findings, but the trailer released today confirms the presence of a number of things Mardoxx found buried in the update files.  

The 1.8 update and DLC woes continue for Playstation gamers On November 1, Skyrim 1.8 update moved out of beta and became available to all those who play Skyrim on PC. If past updates are any indication, 1.8 should be available to console gamers a week to a week and a half after it was released for PC. 

BUG FIXES 
General memory and stability improvements 
Fixed rare crash when using vampiric grip 
Fixed issue where Arnleif and Sons Trading Company could become permanently locked 
Fixed issue related to duplicate NPCs 
Fixed rare issue where exterior door would not open properly 
New locations

News of the latest update and “Dragonborn” still do not answer the question 
Playstation gamers are asking of Bethesda: “When will we get the DLC?” Bethesda has yet to port any Skyrim DLC for Playstation, leaving some gamers fed up with the company. Neither “Dawnguard” nor “Hearthfire” are yet available for Playstation, and the “Dragonborn” preview makes no mention of the console. 

Still, PC and Xbox gamers have reason to be excited. “Dragonborn” hits the Xbox marketplace on December 4, 2012 and will cost $19.99 or 1600 Microsoft points. PC gamers should be able to download "Dragonborn" in January 2013.

Hearthfire and Future Skyrim Add-Ons

Hearthfire went up on the Xbox Live marketplace on September 4th.  In Hearthfire, players can purchase up to three parcels of land (one in The Pale, another in Falkreath, and another in Hjaalmarch), then design, build, and maintain one to three homes. Utilizing a crafting table and carpenter’s bench, you can create rooms, exterior adornments, and various other additions to your homestead. Various elements of what will become your home, include: kitchens, bedrooms, storage rooms, libraries, greenhouses, enchanter’s towers, alchemy labs, mannequin displays, cellars, trophy rooms, gardens, fish hatcheries, bee hives, and stables. You can also hire a steward and charge him/her with buying materials for the home, hire your own personal carriage and driver, and even hire a bard for your home. 

For Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Bethesda released four DLC player homes, which became a bit excessive. Though each home introduced interesting new elements to the gameplay, it became unlikely that a gamer would spend a large amount of time exploring or utilizing the new acquisition. Hearthfire tries to eliminate this problem by allowing the player to design the home. Bethesda is banking on the popularity of games like Minecraft to draw gamers to Hearthfire. Personally, I find the home creation limited and the process of furnishing that home extremely tedious. For me, my love of building in Minecraft does not mask the fact that building homes in Skyrim is little more than a deconstruction of purchasable upgrades for previous homes. With the home creation feature, Bethesda has given gamers a very narrow set of choices to design a home instead of releasing the homes already designed with upgrade options purchasable through some merchant. A large amount of my time working with the add-on has been spent mining and finding merchants who sell glass, straw, goat’s horns, and iron ore or ingots.

Hearthfire's best redeeming quality is the adoption feature. You can adopt one or two kids and move them into your home in Windhelm after paying the steward to convert your alchemy lab into a children's bedroom or into any of the homes you create provided you furnish them with children's beds. You will receive a letter by courier encouraging you to adopt from the orphanage in Riften, but there are also orphans in other locations that you can take in. Depending on the personality of the child and the location of the home in which you place him or her, the child will act differently and relay different stories. You can give your children new clothes, toys, and even a dagger for use in home defense. You can play tag or hide and seek, tell them to do their chores, or send them to bed. Still, Hearthfire's charm is fleeting. 

Skyrim’s newest add-on Hearthfire went up on the Xbox Live marketplace on September 4th. Hearthfire is the realization of two Game Jam ideas: building your own home and adopting children. In February at DICE 2012, Todd Howard showed a video (watch below) of new features and ideas for Skyrim that Bethesda employees had dreamt up. Many of the concepts introduced in that video have made it into the game. These include: kill cams for ranged and magic kills, a flaming epic mount, mounted combat, Kinect-enabled shouts, lycanthropy skill tree, the ability to transform into a flying vampire lord, and now, home design and adoption.

Hearthfire succeeds primarily in reminding me that Bethesda has a really great property which they could continue to expand for quite some time, if the gaming market will allow it. If Bethesda were to expand the home creation options and minimize the repetitive furnishing process, future Hearthfire-like add-ons could be worthwhile. While PC gamers have been exploiting Skyrim's full potential since Bethesda released the creation kit, console gamers remain limited to official DLC. Hearthfire may be the beginning of further add-ons that will provide console gamers with a tiny fraction of the creative freedom that Skyrim modding gives PC gamers. Perhaps Bethesda could release an expansion of Hearthfire that allows gamers to rebuild Helgen or build an entirely new settlement. Maybe an add-on for console Skyrim could introduce an interactive writing desk where players could write there own quests or create new NPCs. The Hearthfire add-on indicates Bethesda is thinking toward something like publisher-approved console modding software, and for that reason Hearthfire excites me for future Skyrim add-ons.

Build Your Home in Skyrim Add-On Hearthfire

Bethesda has announced the next DLC for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bethesda Blog states:

With Skyrim’s newest game add-on, Hearthfire, you can purchase land and build your own home from the ground up – from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with an armory, alchemy laboratory, stable, garden, and more. Use all-new tools like the drafting table and carpenter’s workbench to transform quarried stone, clay, and sawn logs into structures and furnishings. Even transform your house into a home by adopting children. Hearthfire releases on Xbox LIVE next week (September 4th) for 400 Microsoft Points.

The upcoming DLC will not introduce a new storyline, but will bring a whole new wrinkle to the Elder Scrolls series. Players will scout out a plot of land, purchase the deed, and then begin building a home as large or as small as each player desires. Heartfire also introduces a new adoption system, allowing the Dovakhiin to bring children into the home. Watch the official trailer for more
information:

 

Hearthfire will not delight every Skyrim fan, especially those who want more quests and those playing on PS3 who have yet to get the Dawnguard DLC. Still, I'm excited to see the Elder Scrolls series incorporate these elements that have been present in the Fable games for a while now. Hopefully, Bethesda will include a Hearthfire element in the next Fallout installment.

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Fallout 4 and Dragon Age 3 Rumors

Fallout 4 To Be Set in Boston?
Fallout 4 is an inevitability. Bethesda's Fallout 3 was extremely successful among gamers and critics. Skyrim DLC will likely remain the priority, but there is no doubt that a creative team has been working on Fallout 4 since the last New Vegas DLC. The Fallout games have been set in California, Nevada, Utah, Texas, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Maryland. According to Reddit user "Fallout4boston," the next Fallout game will be based in Boston. "Fallout4boston" claims to be an MIT employee and, according to the post, the Boston-area school will play an important role in the next game.

Fans of Fallout 3 may remember that "The Commonwealth"--the name for New England in the Fallout canon--is home to the Institute, an organization built from the remnants of MIT that creates androids. The story was developed in the quest "The Replicated Man" where we learn that a group called The Railroad works to help androids gain their independence--clearly referencing the nineteenth-century Underground Railroad.

[Correction: I had stated that Bethesda had developed Fallout: New Vegas. New Vegas was actually developed by Obsidian. Thanks to reddit user olioster for pointing that out.]

Playing the Role of The Inquisitor in Dragon Age III
Two leaked Dragon Age III surveys may give a sneak peak into the third installment in the series. Developers have already revealed that the game will be set in Orlais, but these surveys could reveal the premise of the plot and some points about the companions and gameplay.

The first document gives these details:

"The great nation of Orlais, the most powerful empire in Dragon Age, tears itself apart in civil war. The stout men and women of Ferelden struggle to recover and reclaim their nation from the horde of vile Darkspawn that lay waste to its lands a decade ago.
"The Chantry, the once-unified faith of the Dragon Age world stands divided. The Templar order has broken away, claiming the church has become too lax in policing the dangerous powers o the mages. The Mage circles have rebelled, believing the Templars have become too strict, too zealous in their duties, and too quick to slaughter those who step out of line.
"The world of Dragon Age is one on the brink of collapse, and when a desperate gathering in the name of peace becomes the epicentre of a magical blast that decimates the Chantry's leadership, it becomes clear that someone or something is manipulating events to drive the world into chaos.
"From the ashes of that explosion, something new rises: The Inquisition. As the Inquisitor, it falls to you to build up your power and martial your forces, uncover secrets and build connections across the world. You must explore forgotten spaces, uncover ancient mysteries and uproot those who would destroy the fabric of the world."

The second document tells us the following:

"Choose the direct method and gather your armies, send spies into the shadows or engage in a political war, make friends and use your connections indirectly: it is up to you how you lead the inquisition. But you'll have to take lead of it from the beginning.
"Make your player a rogue, warrior or mage and set up your crew from up to ten complex companions to lead them against those who attack you by systematically spying on, revealing and destroying them."

 Dragon Age III will likely be released some time in 2014.