Project Snapshot
Brothers in Arms is a mod for Fallout 4, built using Bethesda’s Creation Kit. It contains a main quest and side quest, available to anyone who has reached the Red Rocket. The main action of the quest takes place in a small town called Old Town.
Engine: Creation kit
Base Game: Fallout 4
Level Overview
When the player visits Red Rocket Truck Stop, they find signs of a struggle and a note near the body of a dead man. Upon inspecting this note they discover a man named Wilbur is looking for someone capable, who can help with a problem he has been having with a factory. He resides in a town on the outskirts of the commonwealth - Old Town. When the player speaks to Wilbur in a Taphouse in Old Town he reveals to the player that he manufactured weapons with his brother, Dexter. Dexter hired a bunch of thugs and cut Wilbur out of the business entirely. Wilbur asks the player to settle the score and kill Dexter.
Armed with a brand new Bottlecap Mine Launcher, that shoots bottlecap mines that explode when they hit enemies, the player infiltrates the old Nuka-Cola factory turned weapons factory. The player fights their way through thug, traps, and a series of dramatic combat encounters with Dexter. They dive down into the bowels of the factory where Dexter reveals that Wilbur may not be all he appears to be.
Retrospective
What Went Well
I successfully created two new weapons within the existing engine
I scope myself well enough that I had time to polish
I made sure to playtest my level as much as possible to get feedback I could iterate multiple times on.
Successfully achieved my goal of having good sightlines in my spaces.
What Went Wrong
Initial misunderstanding of the mod-kit made me adjust my layout from the original map designs.
Lack of space in the catwalk room made it impossible for me to add contextual evidence of how the catwalks broke
The final resolution between Dexter and Wilbur would have been more satisfying if I had planned more dialogue for it.
Using a shadow caster incorrectly made my frame rate drop - it took me a while to find the cause of the frame loss.
What I learned
Creating mood-boards for aesthetics is incredibly helpful for lighting and aesthetic passes.
Dialogue is time-consuming and should be allocated appropriate time.
Staged combat is essential for making combat feel satisfying in Fallout.
Make a pass at lighting as soon as possible because this can be time-consuming.
Design Goals
Create a narrative that has an arc between two characters and have this reflected in the spaces and characters built.
Design and build a small world, two interior spaces, a full quest and side quest from the initial idea phase to the final polish stage.
Create two custom weapons for new and interesting gameplay.
Maps & Layouts
Brothers in Arms is comprised of 3 interior cells and 1 small world (3 ext cells). Maps and references as well as screenshots of each space can be found below.
Old Town
When creating Old Town I focused on a layout where people would be able to navigate the quest successfully without needing to rely on quest objectives. Therefore each place that the player visits is in full-view from where the player is. You can also see the landmark buildings (billboard and taphouse) from the moment you enter the space.
Old Town Taphouse
The Old Town taphouse is a supposed re-invention of the destroyed Shamrock Taphouse in the Commonwealth. The player revisits this space multiple times during their time in Old Town. The taphouse has lingering patrons who provide backstory on Old Town and the Brothers. It also has a friendly bartender who becomes the player’s point of contact. If the player chooses to save one brother, only one brother will remain in the space. If they save both brothers when they return they’ll see both brothers together.
Old Town Factory
The Factory is a critical location where the majority of the combat takes place. It is a three-story building where the player encounters Dexter at different points. Each time they meet Dexter he reveals a little more about what happened between him and Wilbur.
Old Town R&D Lab
This is where the majority of the side quest content takes place. The player helps free a synth that is being taken blackmailed by both the brothers. If players complete the side quest they are rewarded with a new legendary gun.
