Previously I embarked on an off-the-cuff rant about how the concept of economy works in gaming and specifically within the world of Fallout. (Or, more appropriately, how it does not.) Much of the issues stemmed from the way that the game is structured as a free-reign RPG. This could make it seem like I'm punishing the game for not being something that is was never capable of becoming, but I intend to put that particular fear to rest in this blog. (Although concerns of my neuroticism likely won't be dissuaded by that fact that I'm continuing this train of thought yet again.) You see, as I mentioned in the blog, there is one Fallout game that absolutely nailed economy. And it wasn't made by Bethesda. (Go figure.)
Leading up to October 2010, Bethesda were hard at working retooling their engine to put together their next entry in their darling franchise; The Elder Scrolls. (A series which has never suffered from weak in-game economy.) However, some in the studio clearly still believed that there was money to be made from the Fallout name, because Bethesda would soon end up contacting Obsidian. (A company comprised of RPG Devs, a considerable number of which worked on the original Fallout games under Black Isle Studios.) Bethesda slapped them with a very tight development shift and a strict release window. So strict, in fact, that 90% of studios would have fumbled about and put out some horrifying mess of a game which they would then desperately try to keep on life support for the next few years before the Publisher finally signed the documents and pulled the plug. (Actually, I suppose that's more how it plays out with modern games, huh.) Obsidian proved that they were up to the task by meeting their deadline and delivering a game that wasn't just functional, but is also the single best action-oriented Fallout game released. Even after 4 dropped. (I shudder to think what they might have pulled off with a full 4 years.)
I cannot underestimate how many aspects of the Fallout universe that Obsidian managed to bring to life in ways that Bethesda still can't. But right now I'm going to address the way that they effortlessly managed to pull of balancing the world in terms of progression-tied economy. You see, one of the systems that Obsidian implemented into Fallout: New Vegas was the 'weapon mod' system which, much as the name implies, allowed players to improve their weapons with a variety of subtle extras. Fallout 4 did something similar, but there it was heavily tied into the overbearing crafting system. Obsidian did not go this route and instead ensured that the player could only acquire mods by purchasing them from specialized retailers. The in-game reason for this being that weapons-grade accessories could only be manufactured by those who can manage to restore and operate munitions depots. (Which is out of the range of the average Joe.) This allowed the Devs to justify a sense of scarcity to these mods and, in some cases, exclusivity. Both ways in which a sense of progression can be established. (In fact, scarcity is one of the main ways that Looter shooter's establish progression.)
This was compounded by the fact that New Vegas' Mods were often far more transformative to the weapon than an 'Acog scope'. (Not to rag on Acog scopes, I like 'em.) Obsidian made the decision for all weapon mods to have a positive effect on the guns to which they were implied, which made sure that players didn't have to pick and choose and could end up improving their weapons at a flat rate. Don't get me wrong, you won't be transforming a plasma rifle in a flame thrower, a la Fallout 4, but you will be turning a pea shooter in something more useful and longlasting. There are mods like the night-vision scope for the Varmint rifle, Expanded weapon drums for the LMG, Chokes for the Hunting Shotgun and ammunition recyclers for laser weaponry. All little stuff that ends up going a long way to improving a gun's damage, versatility or reliability. (What I'm trying to establish is that they are items that will become desirable as you play through the game.)
Obsidian managed to tie this into a system of economic progression by ensuring that such mods are typically not cheap in the stores nor easily found outside them. They cost enough to be prohibitive to early players and be a real pick-and-choose situation for high level players. Fallout 4 fans might find this to be annoying and unnecessary, but it means that the player has to work hard and distinguish themselves in order to acquire the funding to build the tools that they want. This very much fits in with the player's role in Fallout: New Vegas, as much of that gameworld is centred around the idea of accumulating wealth in the land of sin. (That's Las Vegas, by the by.) There are numerous casino's to try your hand at, morally grey missions to undergo and trading ventures to setup which benefit to your overall cap balance. As your spending power increases, so too does the wealth of opportunities at your beck and call. (Feels like I'm being condescending but, seriously, most games don't manage to emulate economy this well.)
Weapon mods are only one aspect to New Vegas' economy. There are even some impressive luxury items that fundamentally benefit the role-playing experience by providing the player with powerful perks. On the east side of Vegas, there is clinic that is designed to cater to high lever players in which a doctor will sell the protagonist powerful 'implants' to supplement their stats. Through this, players can do something as simple as buy new attribute points to something as grand as install a Monocyte cell Breeder that will perpetually regenerate your health at a slow rate. (An absolute must-have for survival mode playthroughs of 'Dead Money') Once again, these 'implants' are far from inexpensive, ranging from 4000 to 12000 caps. Sure, the player can change their playthrough with helpful, permanent buffs, but it will require some grinding in order to buy them, just like with those aforementioned weapon mods.Some of the DLC even helped to contribute to the game's economic progression, just look the 'Gun Runner's Arsenal pack'. (Which was once a pre-order incentive. Bad Obsidian!) With that installed, players will see an influx of high quality weapon variants that are exclusive to the Gun Runners' kiosk in south Vegas. There are even some powerful unique weapons and a few high grade mods for those weapons. Once again, these are weapons that are exclusive to clientele with the income to afford it, lending to the concept of economic progression. Although I will admit, this implementation does feel a little detrimental to the 'free-play' style of this kind of RPG as non of these guns can be found in the open world. I usually don't find myself buying any GRA weaponry in my playthroughs.
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