Why I Left Fallout 2

Timothy Cain

26 May 202320:57

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRTim, the creator of Fallout, describes the intense crunch period leading up to Fallout 1's release. Though successful, he was exhausted and reluctant to immediately start work on a sequel. After being pressured by leadership to pitch and then lead Fallout 2, things started going downhill - decisions were made without his input, there were creative differences, and after a bug investigation, Tim's bonus was severely reduced seemingly as retaliation. This was the last straw, so Tim and his right-hand man resigned, leaving the team bitter but standing firm in their conviction that the work environment had become untenable.

Takeaways

😞 Tim was exhausted and disillusioned after leading Fallout 1 to success, facing nonstop crunch and having no creative freedom.
👎 Tim was mandated to work on Fallout 2 though he wanted to move on to other projects after Fallout 1.
😡Management started making decisions about Fallout 2 without consulting Tim or the original team.
🤬 Tim's bonus was drastically reduced as punishment for not revealing who wrote the game-crashing bug.
😤 The bonus reduction after months of crunch was the last straw that drove Tim to quit.
😕 Jason Anderson resigned as well in solidarity with Tim.
🙂 The original Fallout 2 design pitch was similar to the final game initially.
🤔 The Enclave and endgame changed dramatically from Tim's original Fallout 2 pitch.
😁 Tim is proud of Fallout 1's success in rejuvenating the RPG genre.
🎮 Tim encourages players to enjoy Fallout 2 regardless of his difficult experience making it.

Q & A

What was the main reason Tim Cain left Fallout 2 before it shipped?
-Tim was exhausted from the long hours and crunch time working on Fallout 1. He wanted to work on something new, but was mandated to lead Fallout 2 on an even tighter timeline. The reduced bonus he received despite his key role was the last straw that drove his decision to resign.
How did Tim discover the crash bug in Fallout 1?
-Tim and contractor Mark Harrison used a debugging method Mark invented called a "bear trap" to isolate where in memory the game was randomly being overwritten. By process of elimination over two weeks, they narrowed it down to a single line of code.
What was the original concept pitched for Fallout 2?
-The original pitch was for a giant rolling war machine traveling the world and destroying things. This concept aligned well with the Fallout tagline "war never changes." Many early locations resembled the shipped game.
How did the direction for Fallout 2 change after Tim left?
-Tim felt the game's humor changed to be more overt with jokes you'd miss without specific cultural knowledge. More fourth wall breaking was also introduced. The Enclave final area differed greatly from the original pitch.
Why was Tim upset about decisions being made without his input?
-As project lead and creator of Fallout, Tim expected to have creative control and input on major decisions like the box art. He was upset whenmarketing decided on using an external company without consulting the team.
What was Brian Fargo's reaction when Tim wouldn't name who was responsible for the crash bug?
-Brian reduced Tim's bonus twice - once to counter Tim lowering another person's bonus, and again because Tim wouldn't name who was responsible for the crash bug despite claiming responsibility.
Who resigned along with Tim Cain?
-Leonard Boyarsky and Jason Anderson, two other instrumental figures in creating Fallout 1, resigned their positions as well very shortly after Tim did.
Was Fallout originally envisioned to have any sequels?
-No, the team was entirely focused on just shipping the first Fallout game. The only sequel mentions were jokingly regarding the name choice and an ad page added to the manual.
Why does Tim still recommend playing Fallout 2?
-Despite Tim's difficult experiences, he acknowledges many good people still worked hard on the game. He doesn't want his personal reasons for leaving to taint people's enjoyment.
What was the initial reaction to Tim resigning?
-Both the team and management including Brian Fargo and Fergus Urquhart were very unhappy about Tim's decision to leave mid-project.

Outlines

00:00

😊 Context on Fallout 1 Development and Lack of Sequel Planning

Tim provides background that Fallout 1 was not originally planned to have a sequel. There was no planning done for game mechanics, story hooks, or technical considerations for a sequel during Fallout 1 development. The only sequel discussions were around the name Vault 13 and the Garden of Eden Creation Kit ad.

05:00

😮 Discovery and Fix of a Crash Bug Before Fallout 1 Shipped

Tim describes the discovery of a severe random crash bug in Fallout 1 just before it was supposed to ship. He and a contractor worked long hours over 2 weeks to systematically track down the bug using a memory trap method. The root cause was a simple off-by-one loop error writing past valid memory.

10:01

😊 Fallout 2 Team Formed and Initial Sequel Pitch

After Fallout 1 shipped, a new team formed to work on a sequel under a different producer. Tim was asked by Brian Fargo to create a pitch for Fallout 2, which he did collaboratively with two colleagues. This initial sequel pitch was well received and closely matched the starting areas of the final Fallout 2 game.

15:01

😤 Tim Unhappy About Lack of Autonomy and Lowered Bonus

Tim describes growing frustration over lack of creative control and transparency on decisions being made about Fallout 2. After being assigned to lead Fallout 2, his bonus was substantially reduced apparently due to not identifying the owner of the crash bug previously found. This was the last straw that prompted his resignation.

20:04

😞 Tim's Resignation Before Fallout 2 Completed

After being assigned as Fallout 2's project lead under pressure, combined with fatigue and bonus reduction, Tim formally resigned. His resignation letter was copied by his colleague Jason who also resigned in solidarity. Though there was backlash, Tim reached a breaking point feeling beaten down and could not continue.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Fallout 2

Fallout 2 is the sequel to the original Fallout video game that was released in 1997. In the video, Tim talks about how there were no plans for a Fallout sequel while developing the original game. However, soon after Fallout 1 shipped, a new team started working on Fallout 2, led by Fred Hatcher. Tim was asked to take over leadership and provide creative direction for Fallout 2, but he was already exhausted from the intense crunch period finishing Fallout 1.

💡Crunch

Crunch refers to an intense, stressful period of extended working hours, often unpaid overtime, to meet a project deadline. In the video, Tim talks about the year of crunch leading up to shipping Fallout 1, working 14 hour days during the last few weeks to fix a critical crash bug. He was already mentally and physically exhausted, but faced another year of crunch to complete Fallout 2 in under a year.

💡Crash Bug

The team discovered a severe crash bug in Fallout 1 in the final weeks before launch, where the game would randomly crash due to a memory overwrite problem. Tim worked intensely with programmer Mark Harrison, using debugging techniques over 2 weeks to finally identify the root cause - a simple coding error. Fixing this crash bug allowed Fallout 1 to successfully ship.

💡Pitch

Brian Fargo asked Tim to create a pitch for the storyline and premise of Fallout 2 after not liking the initial pitch from the Fallout 2 team. Tim worked with Leonard Boyarsky and Jason Anderson to write a new pitch that Fargo loved, which became the basis for much of what ended up shipping in Fallout 2.

💡Interference

As a follow up to Fallout 1's success, many people from other departments started trying to get involved in development decisions for Fallout 2. This frustrated Tim, who felt the team was not being empowered to just make the game. There were mandated changes like adding the Temple of Trials tutorial that Tim disagreed with but had to implement.

💡Bonuses

After Fallout 1, Tim divided up bonus pools based on objective criteria like time on the team and salaries as well as subjective contributions. Brian Fargo overrode Tim's spreadsheet, reducing his bonus citing the crash bug delay and lack of accountability. This demotivated Tim.

💡Resignation

After the bonus issue, combined with exhaustion and lack of autonomy, Tim drafted his resignation letter. He later submitted it along with Jason Anderson, despite management being unhappy, because he couldn't handle another year of crunch and interference.

💡Humor

Tim talks about how he didn't like the style of humor that ended up in Fallout 2, with too many insider jokes that broke immersion if you didn't get the reference. He pushed for humor in Fallout 1 to still make sense at a surface level even if you didn't understand the deeper cultural reference.

💡Autonomy

Tim emphasizes how he wants his team to just be left alone, with full creative freedom and autonomy, to make Fallout games like they did with Fallout 1. He is demotivated by management interference and forced changes in the sequel.

💡Burnout

The intense workload and stress of crunching on Fallout 1 combined with no reprieve plunging straight into Fallout 2, along with mounting frustration over bonus and creative issues, led Tim into extreme burnout where he resigned rather than continue.

Highlights

Fallout 2 was already in development before Fallout 1 shipped

The only sequel discussion during Fallout 1 was about naming and an ad page in the manual

Fallout 2 design team made an initial pitch that Brian Fargo didn't like, he wanted Tim Cain involved

Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky and Jason Anderson came up with the initial Fallout 2 pitch with the giant tank

Brian Fargo insisted Tim Cain be heavily involved and lead the creation of Fallout 2

The initial Fallout 2 pitch was very similar to the early game areas in final product

Tim Cain highlights how the Fallout 2 humor differed from Fallout 1 without his oversight

There was a major random crash bug found right before Fallout 1 was meant to ship

Tim Cain and Mark Harrison fixed the crash bug through ingenious memory debugging

Brian Fargo severely reduced Tim Cain's bonus as punishment for the crash bug delays

Brian Fargo wanted Tim Cain to take responsibility for the crash bug delays

Brian Fargo's bonus punishment was the final straw that made Tim Cain quit

Jason Anderson resigned in solidarity with Tim Cain quitting Fallout 2

People on the Fallout 2 team and studio management were very unhappy about the resignations

Tim Cain emphasizes he still wants people to enjoy Fallout 2 despite his experiences

Transcripts

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