A modder is recreating the original Fallout in the Fallout: New Vegas engine—a project dubbed FalloutMachine is already in its 52nd day of active development. Fans are divided: some are waiting for a 3D classic, while others fear another cancellation.
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Why return to the roots?
Fallout 3 certainly did a lot for the series—the leap to 3D, a new perspective on the wasteland, and hordes of new players. But the older games, where it all began, are still great in their own right. If you’re ready to ditch their archaic mechanics and isometric view, a veritable abyss of lore awaits. If not, perhaps an alternative will soon appear.
A YouTube channel, FalloutMachine, has popped up on Reddit. The author, albeit in short videos, shows how he’s porting the first Fallout to the Fallout: New Vegas engine. Incidentally, New Vegas is perhaps the most beloved game in the series among veterans. And the most flexible for modding. An unprecedented combination.
How’s development progressing?
The channel owner posts updates with enviable regularity. The videos are short, but he manages to explain exactly what he’s working on and what problems he’s solving. Any obvious difficulties? There will be some, of course. But the work is in earnest: the latest video is captioned “Day 52 of Development.” This isn’t a one-off.
Judging by the comments under the post, people are divided into two camps. Optimists write: “A 3D adaptation of Fallout 1 with an open world—a homage to the dream!” Skeptics rightly remark: “I’m not holding out hope. Projects like this have been launched and abandoned hundreds of times.” And they’re right—there have been many such attempts, and almost all have sunk into oblivion.
What’s next for the franchise?
Fallout 5 isn’t coming anytime soon—Bethesda is head over heels in The Elder Scrolls VI. But fans are doing well right now. Modders never cease to amaze, the Prime Video series offered a fresh perspective, and behind the scenes there’s talk of a Fallout 3 remaster. If it gets the same treatment as the recent Oblivion, the wait for the sequel will be a little easier.
The FalloutMachine project is a dark horse. On the one hand, its ambitions are sky-high. On the other, regular reports inspire cautious optimism. It would be great to one day launch a classic RPG in a modern, albeit fan-made, playable form. The main thing is that the author doesn’t disappear into the wasteland, like so many before him.
