Things have been a bit quiet on this project since the initial flurry of activity after my announcement. I was encouraged by people’s replies and looked forward to getting down to work once I started receiving submissions. However at this point submissions have been thin on the ground so I have been working away at whatever I can on my end. Once more submissions start coming in I will be able to dive into converting them into commentary tracks very quickly. I have recorded and set up my introductory track which will be positioned just outside Vault 101. It contains some basic information about the project and how the player might wish to engage with it. Obviously this information may change once more commentary tracks are included. I’m also constantly trying out new designs for the “commentary nodes”. I am trying to make them distinctive enough to draw attention to themselves as there would be little point having some great commentary in the world if it could not be found. Here are some examples.
The balloons seem like a good way to draw attention to the nodes during daytime with lighting effects serving a similar function in darker conditions. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions please feel free to contact me via email or in the comments section.
I am still very enthusiastic about this project and hope to be given the opportunity to work harder on it very soon. If you are interested in making a commentary track for the game all the information can be found on the Wasteland Commentaries page of this site.
My new Fallout 3 modification project, The Wasteland Commentaries has just kicked off and I’ve created a page just for it, found at the top of the blog. I have been working on how to present the audio commentaries in the world. I have tested a few ideas for how the commentary “nodes” will look and have come to one that works quite well. Here is how it looks in-game during both day and night:
I have used an Enclave style table surrounded by some rescaled force fields to draw the players eye. If you have any thoughts or ideas on how to best set up the nodes please leave a comment below. I am currently considering the following:
- a smaller table to match the size of the holotape model;
- placing above the table such as a light source to further draw attention to the location of the commentary track
I also have been thinking about how to best present the commentaries in the game to ensure that they function to promote the contributors ideas as best as possible. Here are a couple of thoughts that I have had:
- The title of the audio track should be an introduction to the topic you are discussing and if possible draw attention to the part of the game in the vicinity of the tape that you wish to discuss
- I am hoping to see people employ multiple recordings / tapes to guide the player through certain spaces. For example including 1/4, 2,4…. at the end of a tape title might encourage the player to search the area. You might also give clues in your recording as to where the next tape might be therefore directing the player on a path through the environment that best illustrates the point you are making.
Again if you have any further ideas that I might be able to pass on please leave a comment or send me an email.