Tim Cain Explains Why He "Would Not Have Made Fallout Real-Time"

Summary

The original Fallout games were distinctly turn-based strategy titles.
According to Tim Cain, the game did have the chance to become real-time.
They ultimately refused, but he still discusses what a real-time Fallout would look like.

The Fallout franchise has undergone many significant transformations. First and foremost, when the game shifted into a third-person perspective with Fallout 3, and then when the game went multiplayer, with the launch of Fallout 76.

The original Fallout games are likely the most unique in gameplay and scope. Not only are they made in the form of isometric RPGs, but the combat is also radically different, taking on a turn-based strategy approach rather than the real-time combat many of us were introduced to.

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Turn-based strategy gives the game a unique feel, and as Tim Cain has described in a recent video, it wasn’t necessarily off the table. In fact, according to the video, the publisher Interplay “wanted Fallout to be made real-time because of Diablo.”

That said, the team ultimately refused, partially because real-time would bump up the cost of developing the project. According to Cain, he “would not have made Fallout real-time,” not back then, and not if he ever had the chance to make the game now.

While the difference between turn-based and real-time may seem trivial, it radically changes how the game is developed. Skills, for instance, would need to be completely changed to work in a time-sensitive context. Simply put, Cain believes classic Fallout works better in a turn-based format.

Suppose you’re a fan of turn-based strategy games. In that case, you can see why: the strategy feeling of playing out every turn, using action points to their greatest potential, strategizing positions and utility, feels different than anything else. According to Cain:

The player wouldn’t have time to consider their actions like they do in turn-based. It’s one of the reasons why I like turn-based games – they feel more tactical, even if they aren’t.

Turn-based strategy games feel like you really have the time to pick apart your actions, unlike the split-second decision-making of other formats. With the original Fallout series being such desolate, inhospitable worlds, quick gameplay would almost ruin the fun of slowly trudging along a large, desolate wasteland.

However, that doesn’t mean we can’t theorize what would happen if Fallout were made in real time. Delving into the video’s topic, Cain begins to theorize exactly what would have to be eliminated or added to make it work.

What If Fallout Was Real-Time?

Fallout 2 (3) — Photos via Black Isle Studios

The first thing Cain pointed out was that, once you eliminate action points, how do you decide what happens with firing weapons, using abilities, and moving around the world? For instance, guns in the original series cost different points depending on their power, which wouldn’t work in the new format.

The simplest solution he suggests is that “you can still have those modes… they need to have different rates of use.” A similar thing is done in titles like multiplayer shooters. A sniper rifle, while powerful, may take a long time to rechamber and reload, compared to the fast-firing and fast reload times of low-power SMGs.

He also proposes perks such as “first aid can be done in combat, where the doctor is disabled in combat.” This then starts to divide the line between different kinds of perks, as of course it would be unreasonable to allow the player to perform some actions amid a fast, real-time battle.

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Similar to games like Diablo, he explains that “you can introduce cooldowns” for many perks. When something can be done mid-battle, you should make it impossible to spam continuously and instead use the passage of time as a natural limitation.

Lastly, Tim Cain finally draws the line when considering something like multiplayer. Fallout is a desolate, nightmarish world, and seeing people shooting each other and engaging in multiplayer fun, according to Cain, “doesn’t feel desolate to me.”

If you’re interested in the many other changes Cain would have made when turning Fallout into a real-time game, we highly suggest watching his full video. Overall, it makes me want to play a classic real-time Fallout, even if their decision was ultimately for the best.