Summer 2021 Progress Update

Summer’s here and so are we. Never left in fact, just been busy working on the mod and our beach bodies. And we have been gettin’ busy, as you’re about to see in this Fallout: Miami development update. We thought we’d try something a little different this time around and bring on a co-host. K. Constantine is a Miami OG from the early days and our current Creative Director. He also writes the scripts for these dev updates. He’ll be riding shotgun on this one.

Thanks, Ezra, glad to be here joining you in showing off some of what we’ve worked on over the past months. Before we get started, I’d like to thank all our fans for their positivity and support. You guys are a huge part of what keeps us going on this project, and I hope you enjoy what we’ve brought to show and tell today.

When you’re done watching, do let us know if you enjoyed having me on as co-host. God knows I’m busy enough working on the mod, writing these scripts and putting the updates together, but if you guys like having me around, I wouldn’t mind staying.

Right. So, since we’re shaking things up already, why not break the format just a bit more and start with actually talking about the progress we’ve made recently, you know, a development update. Don’t worry, we’ve got a new song and a bunch of content to show you as always, but we figure you guys want to know where development is at on top of all the juicy new stuff.

We often get asked things like “what percentage of the mod is done” and “when is it coming out,” and the truth is that it’s not easy to give a good answer to questions like that given the nature of big team passion projects like this. But we can at least pull the curtain back just a bit and tell you where we’re at, especially since we’ve seen some misconceptions floating around.

Our level design team has been putting in tons of work, as always. The exterior worldspace is fully explorable and plenty of areas are close to final. It’s something we’ll be working on for a while still, but week by week, it’s taking shape and looking great. Same goes for interiors, with many of them seeing lots of progress over the past months, especially ones tied to the main quest.

And speaking of the main quest, the writing department has had one of its most productive periods recently. Fallout: Miami’s plot uses a two act structure with four paths through the main quest, corresponding to factions the player can join. It’s all been planned out in detail for a while, and since the last development update, we’ve completed the design documents for the whole first act. Not just that, but a bunch of those Act 1 quests already have all their dialogue written and edited.

Which is great for our small but dedicated programming team, who have already implemented several of the early quests. Good time for a recruitment call. If you have experience in the Creation Kit and are listening to this, then we’ve got an opportunity you won’t wanna miss. If you want to help us bring our storyline and characters to life, apply to join the development team, you can find the link in the description.

We’re also looking for 3D Animators to help bring some of our new weapons and creatures to life as well as people who can help with implementing 3D models in the Creation Kit. Meanwhile, the 2D department has been cranking out ingame assets and are close to being done, as is the audio department. Our ambient soundtrack is all composed and a few tracks just need to be mastered. You haven’t heard all of them yet, so don’t worry, we still have a couple of surprises for you, including some amazing vocal tracks.

For this development update, we want to show off one of our combat tracks. Ripcurrents, composed by Alex, is one of the many intense pieces that will accompany players in their struggle against the dangers of the Vacation Wasteland or in their fight to determine Miami’s future.

We do have some more musical news to share, but it’s not quite ready for this video. Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait till the next one to find out, just make sure you’re subscribed to our channel.

And, while you’re here, we’d like to offer you a drink. Pick your poison. Courtesy of Tom, whom you remember from the last update, we’ve got Fallout: Miami’s selection of new cocktails.

We didn’t want to go all out and include all of the hundreds of cocktails we could, we already get enough of that outside of development, so we decided to focus on a solid selection of reliable favorites that make use of the ingredients players can find in Miami. These include workhorses like the Screwdriver and Whiskey Sour, the more evening-appropriate Mojito and Cuba Libre, and the specific locally-produced Centrian Limoncello, made from lemons grown right in the heart of Miami, and the ever-popular Pricka Colada which makes use of Prickberry juice to achieve its unique flavor.

You know, it feels like it was yesterday when we showed off the concept art for the Dreamers after reinventing them. Where they originally started as little more than just Luna addicts working for Carlos Trueno, the de facto leader of the Cubanos, they eventually became the way more interesting college animal house self-desociative family of escaped slaves and dejected wastelanders they are today.  It wasn’t yesterday but last summer, a year ago, and a lot of work has gone into taking that concept and realizing it.

Weekend put a lot of hours into these 3D models. And since we’re talking about the Dreamers anyway, we’ll take this opportunity and introduce you to the leaders of each of the houses. Let’s start with the iron-pumping tigers of Tau Alpha and their leader – the big man on campus – Chad “Stryker” Brandston.

Stryker is like an older brother to the Dreamers. Sure, there’s the occasional teasing and headlocks, but all he wants is for them to always try to be the best version of themselves, especially his boys from the Tau Alpha fraternity. When Carlos Trueno introduced Luna into their community, he was particularly eager to try it and quickly became addicted. To him, Luna was just another motivator, showing people what life could be if they gave it their all. His desire to see others work on and improve themselves has only gotten stronger with time and his deepening Luna addiction. Under him, Tau Alpha are a force to be reckoned with, and they don’t hesitate to crush the skulls of anyone dumb enough to threaten the Dreamers.

The skirmishers of the Lambda Alpha sorority are similarly protective, especially Heather Holly, their self-proclaimed Bitch Queen. Having always been a physically active child and equipped with a mind as keen as a courtesan’s nails, she quickly found herself leading and coordinating ambushes for the sorority. Seeing potential in the other women there, she applied the same tough-love approach her mother did with her, eventually coming to lead them and taking on the name of Bitch Queen with pride. She has since molded Lambda Alpha into a group of ruthless furies and has extended her aggressive protectiveness to the rest of the Dreamers, her new family.

And after all their violence, someone’s gotta be there to patch up wounds and figure out what’s worth salvaging when the dust settles. That’s where the wallflowers of Zeta Delta come in, led by the curious and crafty Nervanna. She knows firsthand that no one is as useless as they might seem. She turned Zeta Delta into a den for the lost, forgotten, and unwanted. Snug in their reading rooms, they pour over all the books, pamphlets, and manuals they can find. She trains her Sorority mates in scavenging, repair work, first aid and whatever else they happen take interest in. Some of the Dreamers might deride Zeta Delta as being full of freaks and losers, but guess who they come to every time they need something – or someone – fixed?

Rounding things off are the scouts of Kappa Epsilon and their leader Jack Cho, now known only as Aesop. He was among the original crop of slaves who escaped the slaver fortress at Sheridan High School and settled at the Maimon University of Technology. As a slave, his near perfect memory would be of use in all manner of activities. However, attempts to apply it to accounting failed due to his complete inability to accurately reproduce writing from memory due to an acute form of dyslexia.

Limitless curiosity and a sharp mind made the campus an ideal home for him. Combined with physical conditioning from years of hard labor and his perceptive nature, he quickly established himself as one of the leading figures among the escaped slaves. Aesop’s restless curiosity and drive have only been made stronger by Luna, and he is more than content to work for Carlos Trueno as long as the Luna keeps coming and new opportunities for observation or investigation are made available to him. He doesn’t much care if it’s observing enemy gangs or locating Snapjaw nests.

Since you mentioned the High School, I think it’s time we start tying some threads together. You guys remember the concept art for the coconut masks we showed you last year, right? Those have no been brought to life by Josef to terrorize the denizens of the Vacation Wasteland from the stronghold in the ruins of Sheridan High School.

The place used to be a slaver fortress, but in 2281, something happened and many of the slaves were able to escape as Sunshine Cove lost control of the Sheridan district of Miami Beach. Two factions rose from the aftermath. The escaped slaves settled the campus of the Maimon University of Technology, and a new threat arose in the ruins of the High School. With their coconut masks, thirst for destruction and unquestioning loyalty to their new king they… will be something we talk about in the next Fallout: Miami development update!

Of course, you’ll need ways to deal with enemies as vicious as them. So if you’re working as an agent of the Enclave or happen to get your hands on it after defeating one of their squads, you’ll be pleased to know that the Advanced Plasma Platform will offer you several options to obliterate any wasteland menace that stands in your way.

Mipply is back again, and he’s finished the 3D models for all of the variants of the Advanced Plasma Weapon the Enclave will use in Fallout: Miami. We still need to get the textures and animations done, so expect to see it again in a more complete form in the future. Based off the successful Prototype Q-42, its variants include a heavy pistol, long-barrel rifle, scattergun, sniper rifle and plasma thrower

And for a decidedly less advanced option, you could also use a Cubanos special – the Golfbomb, modeled by Miaou. It’s an improvised explosive developed by the Cubanos after their stockpile of conventional hand grenades started running low during one of the many gang wars they took part in over the past decades.

Let’s round out the asset showcase with something less violent and more ambient. Since Miami is such a different settings from what we’re used to, we need appropriate set dressing to really sell it. This is especially the case when it comes to vehicles. You’ve already seen golf carts, tour busses, APCs and speedboats, so let’s add one to the waterways. This Fusion Ski  is an element you’ll encounter off the shores of Miami’s more affluent areas. It was modeled by Kenneth Bested and it really helps add a touch of authenticity to our rendition of Miami Beach.

Especially to places like the Flamingo Yacht Club. This ruined, treacherous marina, designed by former team member Roman, can be found in the south-west of Miami Beach. It’s difficult to navigate, but the rewards are worth it for those brave enough to hop between its overturned speedboats and crumbling docks

And if you go just a bit farther south, you’ll encounter the cobbled-together structures and shelters that surround The Bungo and let you know you’re on Tide Rider’s turf. Miami 3D lead Robin Noel has been building this location up, and it’s coming along rather nicely. We can’t wait to show you more of it as it gets closer to completion.

We’ve also got interior level design screenshots to showcase, like the abandoned Miami Beach Fire Derpartment designed by Luke, one of our interior level design leads.

A recreation of the real-world post office, designed according to on-location photos. Hugo, our other interior level design lead made this one.

We’ve got Andreas to thank for Fallon’s Department Store. That’s a place you’ll want to explore for sure.

And the final interior we’re showcasing today, Magic City Mementos, a store in The Center designed by Sir Wulf of Portugal.

Two more exteriors before we call it an update, we did tell you guys that level design has been doing work. This Red Rocket Megastop, made by Ceftadzime, is a location players can encounter on the border between the Maimon University district and the affluent Bayshore region of Miami Beach.

And let’s end where players will arrive in Miami, right outside the old Radiation King Factory, designed by Brendon, one of our project leads, whom you can often see streaming on this channel, and Dylan.

The team’s been very busy, and we still have quite a lot to show off and talk about next time, so we hope you all enjoyed this Fallout: Miami Development Update. Have a groovy summer, make sure you wear sunscreen, and we’ll see you all next time.


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