Fallout Remaster May Be Too Challenging

With the success of Oblivion Remastered, all eyes are now on another Bethesda legend, the Fallout series. While expectations for the remake of the first Fallout game released in 1997 are increasing, one of the creators of the game, Tim Cain, clearly revealed how challenging this project will be. In the 17-minute video he published on his YouTube channel, Cain explained why the idea of ​​​​a Fallout remaster will not be easy to realize.

The Obstacles for the Fallout Remaster Are Countless

Tim Cain began his speech by stating that he deleted all the Fallout source codes he had when he left Interplay. Cain, who said, “I was asked to do this,” said that he destroyed not only the main files of the game, but also the libraries he used in his personal projects he developed at home. This means that a significant portion of the existing source code is now inaccessible. However, Rebecca Heineman, one of the founders of Interplay, shed light on hope by stating that she still has some pieces of Fallout code.

Another big issue Cain touched on is music licenses. Licenses that were acquired in 1997 without considering projects like remasters may be obsolete today. In addition, the fact that in-game cinematics and videos are prepared in a special format makes the remastering process nearly impossible. Transferring these scenes to modern systems may require a large part of being done from scratch.

Cain also noted Fallout’s buggy launch. Some bugs that still exist in the original version have not been completely fixed with patches over the years. The fact that the codebase is scattered and compiled with old tools makes these problems even more difficult to solve. Although modders have tried to fix some of the shortcomings, the extensive changes required for an official remaster would require much more effort.

Finally, Cain stated that the game’s user interface and mechanics do not appeal to today’s players. He said that Fallout’s unique but complex systems may need to be made more accessible, which is a design challenge rather than a technical one. According to Cain, at this point, it is almost like a new game is being made, not a remaster.

While a Fallout remake is still a fantasist’s dream, Tim Cain’s comments make it clear just how big of an undertaking this project will be. A true Fallout remaster isn’t just about nostalgia, it’s also about a massive rebuild.

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