Fallout has continued to bring immersive open world wastelands to players with each new entry. With every location explored, the unique factions and NPCs found throughout the areas help bring these worlds to life, and it has become a defining feature of the Fallout franchise. As the wait for the next game continues, the setting and story has yet to be determined, but an ongoing trend in the world-building of the series will hopefully continue.
Each game in the series has boasted its own unique take on what a post-nuclear America could look like, but New Vegas is a standout chapter for many. Set in a post-apocalyptic version of Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert, New Vegas is a compelling dive into a world ravaged by the fight for survival. There are plenty of places to explore outside the city of New Vegas, and the town of Novac showcases how subtle details can be some of the most effective pieces of world building. While Novac is a small blip within the overall franchise, the origin of its name is a strong demonstration of Fallout world building at its best.
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Novac in Fallout: New Vegas is a Showcase of Fallout's Environmental Storytelling Strengths
On the surface, Novac is just a small town within the larger world of New Vegas, but the origin of its name is simple, yet clever. The source of Novac's name comes from the "no vacancy" sign that sits at the front of the motel. Not only does this build upon Fallout's brand of humor, it also serves as a great demonstration of how people after The Great War acclimated to their destroyed surroundings. Adapting old world features and recycling them into something new is a clever way for Fallout to drive home how these new settlements came to be.
Building Fallout's Lore in Effectively Simple Ways
Instead of spoon-feeding players the lore of its various settlements and locations, Fallout has done its best world building when it sprinkles hints around its various environments. Realizing that Novac gets its name from a "no vacancy" sign is a fun discovery that makes exploration in the game more rewarding. Fallout's various ways to showcase a possible post-apocalyptic world range from the outlandish, like the Zetan aliens, to the more grounded and plausible, like the matter-of-fact source of town names, and that balance has helped keep the franchise a long-running success.
Adapting old world features and recycling them into something new is a clever way for Fallout to drive home how these new settlements came to be.
Another example of this is Fallout 4's Far Harbor. Based on the real-life town of Bar Harbor, Maine, Fallout 4 opts for the name Far Harbor because pieces of the letter "B" on the sign eventually eroded away after The Great War, making it look like an "F" instead. After the pre-war world was washed away, the remaining survivors were tasked with rebuilding a new one, and with that, adapting to the changed environment in even the silliest of ways brings brand-new meanings to those locations.
The town of Novac's most notable landmark is a T-Rex statue known as Dinky the T-Rex.
Fallout 5 Hopefully Continues This Franchise Trend
Bethesda's confirmation that Fallout 5 won't be released until sometime after The Elder Scrolls 6 signals that it will likely be several years before the next chapter sees the light of day. While that's disappointing, it will be exciting to see which region of America will be showcased this time around. Thankfully, Fallout 76 has continued to bring players content since 2018. That, combined with Amazon Prime's hit live-action Fallout series, at least means there is bound to be a solid amount of Fallout content until Fallout 5 becomes reality.
From Novac to Far Harbor, the Fallout franchise has played around with how society may continue in a post-nuclear scenario. While these details may seem small on the surface, they actually help breathe a huge amount of extra life into each story being told.
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- Gamebryo
- Franchise
- Fallout
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to Vegas. New Vegas.
It’s the kind of town where you dig your own grave prior to being shot in the head and left for dead…and that’s before things really get ugly. It’s a town of dreamers and desperados being torn apart by warring factions vying for complete control of this desert oasis. It’s a place where the right kind of person with the right kind of weaponry can really make a name for themselves, and make more than an enemy or two along the way.
As you battle your way across the heat-blasted Mojave Wasteland, the colossal Hoover Dam, and the neon drenched Vegas Strip, you’ll be introduced to a colorful cast of characters, power-hungry factions, special weapons, mutated creatures and much more. Choose sides in the upcoming war or declare “winner takes all” and crown yourself the King of New Vegas in this follow-up to the 2008 videogame of the year, Fallout 3.
Enjoy your stay.
