As you are probably aware, DAC is an entirely fan-run website. As such, we rely on everyone's support to stay online. Every once in a while, we ask for a little bit more to help keep our lights on. This time around, we need to raise about $270 USD in order to pay for our domain name for the next 5 years. Our gracious host, Taluntain of Sorcerers.net, has paid this sum out of his own pocket (not mention the fact that he hosts us for free!). Anything you can contribute will help and all donations will go directly to server maintainance and domain renewal. If you are able, please click the Paypal link below.
You can also find these Paypal buttons around the website and the forums. Be sure to click on [+] Donation Notes to include your name/screen name with your donation so we can properly thank you.
The stinging finale to Invasion Force Zombee is here! A sleeping terror beneath Amarillo has awoken, and it's put everyone in danger! Wasteland Radio's animal expert and weatherman are humanity's only hope.
Dacker prop guy extraordinaire Wasp1 (A.K.A. George Giordano, a bona-fide, IMDB-credited stunts/SFX veteran) has some Fallout: Houston news for ya. He's taking the show over to Comicpalooza, "The Texas international Comic con" taking place in the George R. Brown convention center in Houston,TX later this month. He'll be unveiling this beast:
The mighty TX Rangers truck
He'll also be bringing the props that he's been kindly giving us peeks of along for the ride as well as doing giveaways, so if you're in the neighbourhood, drop by and buy the guy a beer from us at DaC. And then tell us all about it.
Not the look of someone who enjoys appletinis.
Comicpalooza takes place at Houston, Texas between the 25 and 27 this May. Hotel/Travel info/Map
Sorry for the downtime. Turns out our domain was up for renewal, but the domain service never sent out any reminder emails. Luckily, the man couldn't keep us off the internet for very long. If you are still experiencing issues, just wait a day or two for the DNS to sort itself out.
Wade Savage, the man behind Fallout: Lanius, let me know about a new interview he's done for Wethegamerz. Here are some highlights:
What inspired you to create a short film about Lanius?
I’ve been a Fallout fan since the first two games, of which I’ve played over and over. I enjoyed Fallout 3, but Fallout: New Vegas was something altogether different. I really loved the atmosphere and writing. I loved the characters and voice acting, how the world was put together and fleshed out.
I’ve been wanting to do a Video Game Fan film for years, but I just needed to do something no one had done before. I thought the Lanius origin story was really fun, and that the tribal/Caesar’s Legion dynamic is rarely looked at. I wasn’t really interested in doing the usual Fallout stuff, as I think that ‘Nuka Break’ covered it.
Have other Fallout fan films, like Fallout: Nuka Break, inspired your creative direction at all?
‘Nuka Break’ played a big role in my wanting to do a ‘serious’ toned Fallout film. They’ve done an amazing job at creating a parody/comedy/meta Fallout world. I’m more interested in drama, conflict and the exploration of people in a harsh world. I’ve also seen ‘Desert Story’, ‘Deprivation’ and I’ve been contacted by the ‘Fallout: Houston’ folks, who are fantastic. My primary inspiration however is the tone and atmosphere of Fallout: New Vegas. Nothing can beat that.
...
As for questions about the title character himself: Lanius is such an enigmatic character, with several origin stories. How will you work to build that aura of mystery around him?
Before I even touched the script, I made sure to contact both Chris Avellone (Creative Director at Obsidian) and John Gonzalez (Lead writer on Fallout: New Vegas). I wanted to make sure I had a good understanding of what Lanius was as a character, rather than just a video game antagonist. The way that I’ve written him, he’s this warrior who only lives for victory. However, he’s not an animal. He has a very particular set of values. Mind you, his people are still pretty freaked out by him because he’s kind of emotionless. He’s a very tricky character to write, but I believe we’ve got the right elements together to make him work.
Will there be any light shed on the Hidebarks, the tribe Lanius belonged to before joining the Legion?
Yes, this will be the first time that Lanius’ tribe, the Hidebarks, will be seen. The idea that our designer Simon Boxer has, was to make them this clash of tribal elements of the White Legs and tribal ideas from Fallout 2. The way I see them, the Hidebark were nastier and smarter than the White Legs (from ‘Honest Hearts’) , but were too small to really continue their campaign against the Legion.
Will Joshua Graham, The Burned Man, play a part in Fallout: Lanius?
Sadly, not in this film. Aside from Lanius, Joshua Graham and The Survivalist (Randall Clark) are my favourite Fallout characters. Depending on how this film goes, I’d love to do a film about either of them next…
Lanius has led numerous successful conquests for the Legion. Will we see what made him such an efficient leader?
In Fallout: Lanius, we primarily explore the origin story of Legate Lanius and how he became the man he is. However, that’s not saying we don’t see him in action. We do also get to see his unrelenting expectations of others. He’s a kind of death before dishonour kind of man, and we get to see that. I’ve also seen him as a fantastic tactician, but in terms of this film we see firsthand why he’s so bloodthirsty.
Lanius appears to be generally disliked by the Legion, with Caesar refusing to call him a “great man”. Will we see what made the Legion dislike Lanius?
Oh yeah. In fact, we see in the opening scene of the film why they hate him- but I won’t spoil it. Let’s just say, when he wants to, Lanius can really make a mess.
Will we get to see Lanius in his iconic armor?
Absolutely. I’ve got one of the hottest Special FX designers in Australia already working on it. It’s going to look pretty damn cool.
Okay, last question–I think I already know the answer, but what faction do you normally side with, and why?
Actually, on my first run through I did the ‘Yes Man’ independent New Vegas ending. I didn’t do a Legion ending until on my second play through! My personal preference, is to play a pragmatic character. Cruel, but kind too. Again, another reason I loved Fallout: New Vegas so much. Very few games give you the feeling that your choices have real consequences.
The STALKER series was one that was fondly looked upon by many gamers, myself included, and to find that the development for the sequel is not only ceased but that the very development team working on it in GSC is no more just blows my mind.
What we have in its place is Survarium, an MMOFPS.
"Survarium is a free2play MMOFPS game set in the near future. The game focuses on a mass-scale ecological catastrophe on Earth, the reasons behind vaguely known.
Impassable woods advance onto cities from every side, maddened animals and birds attack industrial complexes, military structures, warehouses and power plants. Strange plants and mushrooms grow through concrete and steel. Scientists all over the world haplessly try to cope with the anomaly sprawling across the Earth with terrifying speed. Countries collapse, anarchy spreads throughout the world. Now force dictates who to survive.
The game is developed with a new proprietary Vostok Engine technology and is planned for release on PC at the end of 2013."
Here is some more confirmation straight from the horse's mouth.
The folks behind Fallout: Nuka Break are looking for some fundage to film a second season of the web series. You can examine the kickstarter page here. I'll probably kick a couple buck it's way if for no other reason than they actually managed to get a chuckle or two out of me last time.
And thus, Duckandcover.cx was born. Founding father Killzig(not the original Dacker**, that honor befell Soulfish) dixit, ten (!) years ago today, on the very first DaC** thread, hopelessly out-armstronging Neil Armstrong.
Wish you'd thought of that, eh, twat?
The thread in question, a 422-page behemoth with posts spanning 6 years, started with a question:
-dub Killzig, inciting stone-age dackers to join the quest for free Fallout 2 source code. Well, haveyou? 10 years later, 2003 (!) people have, making it the most remarkable evidence of how online petitions work.
So stick around, pallies, DaC** is 10 and we have cake*. And forever remember the immortal words of wisdom of our own Killzigathustra:
ASSIMILATE. ASSIMILATE. ASSIMILATE.
I'm moving to have this be our new logo.
*no we don't
**Update: According to new info hot from the frontlines, I am the actual twatDuck and Cover's REAL birthday is January 3, 1998, so he/she/it is actually 14 and a bit. Today's date merely marks the move to our current .CX address and the start of these here forums. Don't worry though, this still calls for celebration. Also, apologies to the 2 middle-aged chinese women-spambots who read the piece before the edit for any confusion.
The drive is over, and the tally is in. Wasteland 2 has garnered $2,933,197 from it's kickstarter and another $108,000 from paypal. This puts the project at three times their estimated funding requirements. This should mean we'll be getting modding tools for the game. Now we can just wait and salivate while they make the game itself.
As you may or may not know, longtime DAC member Mr. Teatime has a post-apoc novel he created about 4-5 years ago now, titled Dirty Clouds and Puffs of Stardust. Long story short, I contacted him and asked whether Wasteland Radio could try and turn the book into an audiobook. Luckily he agreed and now we've just finished the second part of what is sure to be a many-parted project. This is really a DAC audiobook experience- written, narrated, and music created by DAC members. More info on the novel is over here.
I do offer this warning- after criticism I've received I will warn listeners that the first ten minutes of the prologue is narrated pretty dryly, but please stick with it and you will notice it gets better. If it's really too dry for you at that point, consider starting with Part 1 before you give it up entirely.
The Wasteland 2 team has released the first piece of concept art for the upcoming game. Found over at the official Facebook page along with the following description, " I am very excited to release Andree Wallin's first piece of official concept art for Wasteland 2. We wanted to set the look and feel of the Desert Rangers. Mission Accomplished."
To me at least, this is looking to be a fresh approach to the post-apocalyptic experience. Not just the Fallout franchise, but really most of modern gaming, have you as this lone wolf who really interracts with others through mainly violence and manipulation. I'm very interested to see how teamwork is developed in Wasteland 2. The characters do look distinct and I like the Dirty Dozen-esque vibe I'm getting.
The Wasteland 2pledge drive has exceeded $2.1 Million. This means that Brian Fargo and inXile will work with Chris Avellone and Obsidian to help create the game.
Act fast - time is running out to get the original Fallout for free from GOG.com. Fallout is part of their new promotion to attract new users (but is available to existing users as well), so head over there and get it for free - you have nothing to lose!
Duck and Cover is pleased to present a new high production value Fallout fan film called FALLOUT: LANIUS. As the title suggests, the film will follow the story of Legate Lanius from Fallout: New Vegas. The production has recruited the voice of the original Legate Lanius, Mitch Lewis, to reprise his role. The film is being directed by Australian indie director Wade K. Savage. Here is the press release:
“FALLOUT” FAN FILM “FALLOUT: LANIUS” IN DEVELOPMENT
Original Voice Actor Mitch Lewis attached
Perth, Western Australia- (April 2, 2012) Australian Filmmaker Wade K. Savage is happy to announce that he is now in development of a high production value Fallout Fan Film, "FALLOUT: LANIUS". "FALLOUT: LANIUS" will be a Fan Made, not for profit, short film based on the "Fallout" series of video games by Black Isle Studios, Obsidian Entertainment, and Bethesda Softworks.
The film will bring together a host of upcoming talented filmmakers to produce a cinematic Fan Based "Fallout" experience.
The team is also happy to announce original voice actor Mitch Lewis, will reprise his role of "Legate Lanius" for the short.
The film is a blood soaked high concept action epic, which will explore the origin story of the primary antagonist "Legate Lanius" from the 2010 video game "Fallout: New Vegas". Graphic design will be provided by graphic designer Jeffrey Phillips (www.jeffreyphillips.com.au), whilst concept art and design will be by Simon Boxer (www.simonboxer.com).
A crowd-sourcing funding campaign is expected to take place mid-year.
STORY SUMMARY
On the brink of ruin, the Hidebark people are about to be wiped out by the slaving organization, Caesar's Legion. However, their most ruthless warrior would prefer death to dishonour. "FALLOUT: LANIUS" will recount how a single man brings ruin to his people due to his lust for bloodshed and victory.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Wade K. Savage is an award winning theatre and film director. His short films have shown globally. His most recent short film "Hunt" (2011) screened at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival. His 2010 short "The Dead Wastes" won the Night of Horror International Film Festival's coveted 'Independent Spirit' award. This is the filmmakers' first Fan Film.
Mitch Lewis is a Hollywood based Voice Actor with experience in narration and voice work for both video games and film. His credits include Guild Wars 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Thor: God of Thunder and The Incredible Hulk amongst others.
Jeffrey Phillips is an Australian illustrator and designer. His portfolio includes a multitude of clients in all industries and sectors.
Simon Boxer is a Melbourne based concept artist and game developer. He works in film, TV and video game sectors internationally.
Most people at Duck and Cover already knew these were pictures from Fallout: Houston, but were good sports and played along :-) Special thanks to DAC's own wasp1, the man behind these fantastic Fallout props and Fallout: Houston.
Original post:
A few years ago, DAC reported that Bethesda had secured the trademarks for a variety of Fallout based media, including films. Now, we can proudly report that we have secured leaked 'spy' pictures of production of the film version of Fallout! Our source was lucky enough to visit the studios where the props/sets are being constructed - have a look at their shots:
So yeah, Retlaw suggested it and since it'd be too obvious from then on to actually do an April Fool's, I decided I'd do one today instead. LATE MARCH FOOL'S, sucka! How do you like that egg on your face?
Problem is, this is actually NOT a joke. The egg is kinda on my face instead of yours, given yesterday's news post. I'll let Rock Paper Shotgun journo Alec Meer explain:
Since exceeding their initial target of $900,000, they’ve been able to add Mac and Linux versions to their masterplan for the post-nuclear roleplaying game. But that’s not all. They’ve just been in touch to say that, if they can reach $2.1 million during the 17 days remaining on the funding schedule, they’ll be bringing in Obisidian Entertainment, including Planescape: Torment mastermind Chris Avellone, to help them make the game.
RPS has a couple of quotes on there, yet, in a way, provides no sources. Meer adds at the end of the piece that he has interviewed (not posted as of now) with Fargo, but no word on how or where he got his Avellone comment. This is worriesome, in that maybe the egg is on my face in 2 ways instead of one. Is it their late March Fool's on me? Maybe. As a semi-regular reader, I can't quite imagine them doing this but in any case, keep your wits about you until there's more on this. Anyway, the quotes. Chris Avellone goes first:
"Wasteland is one of my favorite RPGs of all time, and when Brian asked if I wanted to work on the sequel, I jumped at the chance. While I’ve worked on Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, getting the chance to work on the spiritual successor to the Fallout franchise is a honor."
Now, Brian Fargo himself:
"I have a history with the guys at Obsidian that dates back to the days of Interplay’s Black Isle studios. Together we created some of the greatest RPG’s of all time, from Fallout 1 & 2 to titles like Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment. It is great that we now have a chance to reunite on a project like Wasteland 2.
Obsidian has an incredible library of story, dialog and design tools that they have used to create hits like Neverwinter Nights 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, and of course, Fallout: New Vegas. Regardless of the tech we use to develop the game, experience with these tools will help us efficiently design the game without wasting time and resources on the tools needed for development."
You know, I almost feel like leaving this unposted until I'm sure it's 100% legitimate, yet time constraints force me to do otherwise. Now or never, so let's go with now and hope that I was just being too careful.
Maybe yesterday I should have wrote "Tofu wins a million euros" on orange allcaps instead.
UPDATE- Confirmed! Fargo commented about the news on his Twitter account, and I find that to be suitable confirmation. So, GIB MONIES PLOX if you want to see this happen.
UPDATE 2- Official word from Fargo on the Wasteland 2 Kickstarter page:
We have announced a major piece of good news today that inXile has reached an agreement with Obsidian for potential design assistance for Wasteland 2. What that means is that Obsidian’s Chief Creative Officer, Chris Avellone, is going to work with our team on the design and writing of the game! It is important to note that we say "potential" as they will come aboard assuming we hit $2.1 million in funding. The good news is that we have already seen a spike in just the few hours since this was announced in a press release this morning.
For those of you who don't know who Obsidian or Chris Avellone are, they are the bulk of the brains who worked on Fallout 1&2, Icewind Dale and Planescape Torment when I was back at Interplay. More of the band is back together to make sure we bring you a fantastic RPG. Chris is going to help push the density and literary content of the game.
The original Wasteland was an important game to Chris as he recently stated, "Wasteland is one of my favorite RPGs of all time, and when Brian asked if I wanted to work on the sequel, I jumped at the chance. While I've worked on Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, getting the chance to work on the spiritual predecessor to the Fallout franchise is a honor."
While the programming work will remain with us here at inXile, we are looking to use a host of tools that Obsidian has created which will help us get assets into the game faster. The faster we can implement and iterate on content, the deeper the game and the more varied choices the gamers can make.
That’s more good news for all of you that put your faith in us.
Brian Fargo
UPDATE 3- Fargo's "mid-season" acquisition seems to have worked wonders. The kickstarter that'd slowed to a crawl the last week now has suddenly been given a new lease of life, racking up over $150K in the last 24h alone. The current value is $1.8M, now only $300K short of the $2.1M target.
Perth, Western Australia- (April 2, 2012) Australian Filmmaker Wade K. Savage is happy to announce that he is now in development of a high production value Fallout Fan Film, "FALLOUT: LANIUS". "FALLOUT: LANIUS" will be a Fan Made, not for profit, short film based on the "Fallout" series of video games by Black Isle Studios, Obsidian Entertainment, and Bethesda Softworks.
