THE GREEN MONSTER
(Fallout 4 Mod)
(Fallout 4 Mod)
The Green Monster is a mod created for Fallout 4 which adds an unmarked location for the player to explore, with a focus on environmental storytelling. The player is able to use a terminal to simulate the same bar in a 'pre-war' state and just after the nuclear bombs fell.
During the development process, I uploaded some test/dev videos to YouTube which can be found in my "The Green Monster" Playlist.
Released: May 2019
Type of Mod: Environmental, Building
Game: Fallout 4
Team Size: 1
Duration: 2 months
Software & Tools: Creation Kit, Papyrus (Scripting)
The premise of the mod is that an ex-Brotherhood of Steel scribe stole some technology and went into hiding. He found a dilapidated bar (The Green Monster) that was damaged in the nuclear fallout, cleaned it up and opened the bar for business. With his tech know-how and the help of two experienced ghouls, Anthony rigged a Terminal to simulate a virtual pre-war environment.
I used Bethesda's Creation Kit with some scripting (Papyrus) to create 3 scenes, which the player can teleport to via a terminal to give the illusion of simulation / time travel. While in the 'pre-war' and 'nuclear impact' areas, the player is unable to interact with the main door or take any items from the simulation.
Environment Details
Personal Easter Egg
A reference that the mod was a university assignment. This was hidden in the refrigerator of the pre-war simulation.
Personal Easter Egg
Intellegence bobblehead: as I was working on my Masters degree.
Terminal: STEM student.
'BOO!' Banner: Pre-War.
Initially been placed as a halloween decoration for customers.
'BOO!' Banner: Present day.
Now the banner works as a surprise with the glowing ghoul, which is another nod to the bar's name.
Hidden Cigarettes and Comic: Pre-war.
Staff member would hide in the storage room to relax.
Hidden Cigarettes and Comic: Present day.
After nuclear blast, the items fell beside the shelves.
Bear: Pre-war.
The bear is located in the office on one of the wall shelves.
Bear: Present day.
A wastelander has placed the bear in a crate under the shelves, brandishing a gun.
Caution Sign: Pre-war.
Tucked away for future use.
Caution Sign: Nuclear Impact.
Fallen over due to blast.
Caution Sign: Present day.
Used as a barricade, locking the ghoul away.
Interior Right: Pre-war.
Interior Right: Nuclear Impact.
Interior Right: Present Day.
Restroom: Pre-war.
I hope to update the mod with NPCs, so the player can find a human NPC in the room.
Restroom: Nuclear Impact.
Restroom: Present day.
There is an Expert Lock on the door, so the player can ignore the written warnings and release the glowing ghoul.
Storage Room: Pre-war.
Storage Room: Present day.
Office: Pre-war.
The feather duster that is on the shelf for cleaning.
Office: Present day.
A mattress and a mannequin have been dragged into the office. The feather duster is now in the mannequin's hand.
Terminal: While I wanted to focus on telling the story through the environment, I realised that I did need some obvious story and instructions for the player, or they would not understand what the terminal was for.
Note beside Terminal: I included a note next to the terminal explaining the creators motivation and reasoning and included how they asked for help from two local Ghouls (Kent and Daisy from Goodneighbor) who would have been around in the pre-war.
Initial Design
I wanted to make sure the bar was as realistic as possible, making sure to include things that a typical bar would have: seating, toilets, storage and an office.
After sketching a few different layouts, I decided on a final building layout.
Development
I selected an existing building close to Diamond City, one of the most important locations in Fallout 4.
I made sure that the interior was exactly the same size as the exterior, for continuity. After working on the interior, I decided to cover the front of the bar exterior as it included windows that did not exist inside. I used a wall template and selected the same brick texture that was applied to the existing building. There were some repeated textures, so I placed a wooden ‘shack wall’ over the obvious areas to hide them from the Player.
Left to Right: Pre-war bar, Nuclear Impact bar and Present day bar.
Papyrus Scripting
I used Papyrus Fragments to teleport a player. When the player selects a Date, the game will locate PlayerRef and MoveTo ObjectReference (which would be either of the terminals I have chosen for each section).
I had an issue while creating the Teleportation with the Terminals, as when I was playtesting the mod, the game insisted the file it was trying to read did not exist. I eventually found a way through by including a line to delete older data.
I was able to get the terminals working to show the correct text and teleport the player to the selected location. E.g. Get.PlayerRef MoveTo.ObjectReference. I have included the notes on this YouTube video showing the successful teleport test.
Bonus Notes
The bar's name "Green Monster" also refers to the name of the wall in Fenway Park, Boston (Diamond City in Fallout 4).
The ghoul's name "Anthony" is an homage to my two close friends from Massachusetts: Brittney Anthony and Cassidy Anthony.