Fallout 4 may be on the receiving end of plenty of plaudits, but those looking for a game similar to the original titles in the Fallout franchise will no doubt be left wanting - particularly when it comes to the game's graphical style. Players after a return to the isometric viewpoint, however, may have one way to experience the game in this manner. One Fallout 4 player has discovered a way to make the game appear as if it were a direct follow-up to the original Fallout.
A Reddit user by the name of yttriumtyclief took to the site to share his revelation. "As I was playing around with camera angles and other camera settings I got inspired to take some isometric screenshots of what Fallout 4 might be like if it was made by Black Isle," said the user in the post. Also included was a link to a gallery of screenshots taken, which can be found over on Imgur.
Unfortunately for those excited to try to play the Bethesda-developed title as they would one of the original games, it doesn't seem like the isometric viewpoint works at all well when combined with actual gameplay. "It falls apart once you try to enter combat," said the user, "or do really anything else besides walking around outside." Apparently, the viewpoint also doesn't work indoors, due to the way that the game's 3D environments are created.
There has always been a little bit of friction between the original Fallout titles and those that followed after Bethesda bought out the rights. Aside from tonal differences, the two Fallout eras require very different play styles, and Fallout 3 is often seen as a complete reinvention of the franchise. This became even more apparent when details became available over a failed attempt by Black Isle to make its own Fallout 3, codenamed Van Buren.
Since then, players have made many attempts to try and gel together the two series, often through modded content. A number of dedicated Fallout fans have been feverishly working on a mod called Fallout: The Story, which recreates the original Fallout within the engine of Fallout: New Vegas. Although the mod is making steady progress, it is still a while away from completion just yet.
It's a shame that the game does not run with this isometric viewpoint, as it could have proved an interesting throwback to the original games. Unfortunately, those who would have preferred Fallout to remain in its original style can see these tantalizing screenshots with no expected plans for another classic Fallout any time soon. At least those players have Wasteland 2 to fall back on in the meantime.