I'm attempting a non-lethal playthrough of Fallout 4 with the Knockout Framework mod, which lets me punch NPCs unconscious and carry them around in a sack on my back. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Using mods can get messy, especially when a mod changes a major aspect of a game system, like the knockout mod does. There can come a point where the game simply doesn't know how to respond to the alterations the mod is making. A lot of quests in Fallout 4 can only be marked as complete if you kill certain NPCs or monsters, and considering that I'm trying to avoid doing that, it's no simple matter to progress.

Last time, I tackled Preston Garvey's Museum of Freedom quest, which resulted in me leaving Concord with an unconscious deathclaw stuffed in my backpack. Since Garvey will only be satisfied if the deathclaw is dead, the quest remains incomplete.

I want to keep my pet deathclaw, though: it could come in handy. I figure that if I just remove it from Concord for a period of time, Preston might decide I've killed it and let me progress through the story. So, I head to Red Rocket Truck Stop, where I'd previously built a prison for some mole rats, and I drop the deathclaw inside. Sort of. It kind of flops half-in and half-out.

I'm not sure what'll happen if I leave it dangling like this, so I wake it up with a stimpack. Thankfully, after regaining consciousness on the edge of the pen, it sort of hops inside. My pet! My lovely pet!

Naturally, it's not really my pet, it completely hates me. It starts roaring and stomping around and swiping at me with its tail and claws, so I quickly close the door (as if it could fit through that doorway, and even if it could, like a closed wooden door would stop it) and spend some time trying to admire it from the staircase. It manages to hit me, only once, which breaks my leg and sends me limping away with only a shred of health remaining.

I tell ya, playing non-lethally is bad for your health.

After crafting a water pump back in Sanctuary to heal myself (the game won't let me using the crafting bench at Red Rocket since there's a furious deathclaw a few feet away), I head to Concord, and sure enough, the quest still isn't complete. Preston wants that D-claw dead and there seems to be no fooling him.

The only other quest I currently have available is one from Tenpines Bluff, where a couple of farmers want me to take care of the raiders at the Corvega Assembly Plant. Since I've had no trouble knocking out raiders with my cane and my non-lethal shotgun, I figure I can handle that.

I can't handle that.

This isn't some little band of shaggy, stinky raiders like the ones I've encountered so far: there are over a dozen of them outside, including on the roof, and almost twice as many inside. While I do pretty well clonking them unconscious around the perimeter, I'm being constantly sniped from the ones on the roof of the plant, who are too far away for me to hit with my non-lethal shotgun. Inside, I'm immediately and repeatedly scorched by molotovs and grenades. I'm not going to be able to manage this alone.

Well, I do have my own deathclaw. After several deaths and reloads, I return to Red Rocket, zip my deathclaw up in my backpack, and return. With my pocket monster, I figure, I can handle the factory.

I can't handle the factory.

Really, there are three problems. The deathclaw, when awakened, only has one stimpack's worth of health, and though it's still fearsome it's not exactly an irresistible force in its weakened state. The assembly plant, meanwhile, consists of a lot of stairways and catwalks and narrow areas, not ideal for a monster the size of a car. And finally, I'm a weakling in fight with a dozen enemies armed with guns and lobbing grenades. Even if my deathclaw can survive long enough to take out the raiders, I can't. And if the raiders kill the deathclaw, thus completing my Concord mission for me, I can't survive long enough to enjoy it. I die again and again.

Finally, I give up. After some deliberation, I decide to simply take the deathclaw back to Concord, drop it in front of the Minutemen, and let them finish it off.

They don't finish it off.

It's definitely enjoyable watching the deathclaw rampage around the office, but it's too much for the Minutemen and Mama Murphy, quickly knocking them all out (the mod allows NPCs to bash each other unconscious as well). Now the deathclaw I don't want to kill but need to kill refuses to be killed. You suck, Minutemen.

I manage to slip out onto the balcony to see if Preston can be persuaded to come inside and finish the job, but I discover Garvey is, well, a bit broken:

He's alive and conscious, but lying face-down on the balcony. Preston wriggles around, he speaks, he occasionally teleports a bit, but he won't get up. The guy with a fetish for settlements appears to have permanently settled here.

After hitting him, shooting him, and otherwise trying and failing to get him to stand up, I decide to enlist the help of the unconscious raiders in the street below. Maybe if I haul them into the office, they'll kill the deathclaw and I can finally complete this mission.

Nope.

When I return with the first raider, I find the deathclaw finally, mercifully dead. A few of the Minutemen are awake and acting as if everything is normal, like there isn't a giant dead monster on the ground and their boss isn't outside dry-humping the balcony. What's worse, when I dump the raiders (who now also need to die to complete the mission), their bodies vanish. I drag in all of them, one by one, and they all disappear. You can see above that the hovering red squares on my HUD indicate their positions in the office, but they can't be seen, revived, killed, or hauled back outside.

And so, with Preston doing the eternal worm outside and a pile of unconscious invisible raiders no one can kill, I think it may be time to put a pin in my non-lethal knockout adventures in Fallout 4. I didn't get far, but at least my personal body count is zero. A few raiders died due to my actions and I blew up a few turrets, but the only thing I wound up killing was the game itself.

The Fallout 4: New Vegas mod project was announced in August last year, and firmly grabbed my attention last month with these dynamic weather screens. Now, the mod has a new trailer that teases its perk system, a shotgun showdown in Goodsprings, and the return of NV's be-nice-or-be-shunned karma system. The Mojave Wasteland never looked so good. 

As you'll see below, the player starts out on the peripheral of the mod's reimagining of opening town Goodsprings, before tinkering with Radio New Vegas via their Pip-Boy, assuming perks as per the original game, and ultimately gunning down what appears to be an innocent civilian. Cue some serious shunning.

Fallout 4: New Vegas is clearly an ambitious undertaking, but it's one I'm already very much looking forward to. As we reported last month, its creators aren't tying themselves down to a hard release date/window just yet and are always on the lookout for new recruits. 

When it's done, Fallout 4: New Vegas aims to recreate everything from Obsidian's 2010 Mojave Wasteland—including all of the game's original quests and story, "with additional gameplay elements and systems from the new and improved engine."

Incidentally, Fallout 4: New Vegas ranked second place in ModDB's Best Upcoming Mods awards. 

The draw of Sim Settlements, the Fallout 4 mod we awarded Best Mod of 2017, was that it gave NPCs some agency in creating their own homes and shops on your settlements. All you'd have to do is zone an area for the type of building you wanted, and let your settlers handle the construction and furniture placement, which gave rise to cool randomized homes and shops that would improve and change while you were off doing other things.

Rise of the Commonwealth, the expansion to Sim Settlements, takes the idea a step further by letting NPCs not just build their own stuff but actually plan the settlement completely without your input. You can assign a city leader for each settlement, choosing from Fallout 4's NPCs companions, and put them in charge, as if making them mayor. They'll begin by scrapping the settlement,  decide for themselves where zoned plots should be placed, and then set about building along with the other NPC settlers you've recruited. As the settlement grows, your mayor will even take into account the current shortcomings of the settlement, focusing on more farms or homes or shops depending on what's needed most. Rise of the Commonwealth is another way to have unique, constantly growing settlements without you having to spend time micromanaging everything.

Naturally, you can still contribute and build your own stuff if you like, but the idea is to feel like your settlers are capable of making decisions and managing themselves. They may even build over some of your own constructions (if you built something in their designated area) or even move items you've placed to more suitable locations. And why not? You've put them in charge, after all.

You can also help out by donating your spare junk to boost their scrap supplies, and since Sim Settlements gives you more time to explore you're bound to have tons of extra junk to contribute. You can also still set up supply chains to keep your settlements connected to one another.

As always, modder kinggath and his team have produced some informative orientation videos to explain the basic concepts and finer workings of the mod, and there are future plans to add a wider selection of NPCs that can act as city planners and even provide bonuses to the settlements they're assigned to. Sim Settlements, already great, just keeps getting better.

Every week, we produce our Highs and Lows feature, rounding up the week in news, games and whatever else is drifting through our heads when we write it on a Friday afternoon. Since it's the end of 2017, we've produced a special round-up of the year, with contributions across our global team. Enjoy, and check back tomorrow for our lows of the year.

Samuel Roberts: Age of Empires 4 exists

Here something I never would have predicted at the start of 2017: Microsoft bringing back Age of Empires. Not just with enhanced editions of the older games, but with a brand new fourth entry, made by the RTS specialists at Relic. Not loads is known about it, but at Gamescom it came out of nowhere with a trailer, and in 2018 we'll hopefully see a lot more of it.This is the first new Age of Empires in 13 years, which is crazy. Along with MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, it's cool to see series from that era of PC gaming return. It doesn't get more PC gaming than Age of Empires for me: that series was fundamental to my interest in PC back in the late '90s, after I sampled the first game on a PC Gamer demo disc.

I hope Age of Empires 4 comes with a scenario editor. Earlier this year, I wrote about how much I loved AoE2's scenario editor, and how it let you make 20 William Wallaces fight 20 Joan of Arcs. If we can't violate the truth of history with the most ridiculous large-scale encounters imaginable, it just won't be my Age of Empires. 

Andy Kelly: Paint it black

Okami is one of my all-time favourite games, but for years I had no easy, convenient way to play it. I don’t own any consoles, so I couldn't even play the 2012 re-release, and I had trouble emulating it at a stable frame-rate. So I was delighted this year when it was finally released on PC with 4K support. It finally looks like it looked in my mind when I played it on a PlayStation 2 and a tube TV back in 2006, and I’m stunned by how beautiful those ink wash-inspired visuals still are, even at modern resolutions.

A lot of great stuff was released for PC this year, so it might seem odd that my highlight is a re-release of an 11-year-old game, but I think that proves just how fond I am of Okami. As well as looking gorgeous, it's a grand adventure in the Zelda mould, full of interesting characters, beautiful locations, and puzzle-filled dungeons. It’s just a lovely place to exist in, and I loved every one of its 30+ hours. Yes, it's a big game, and the pace can be incredibly slow, but I can forgive that. It's a game to be savoured, not rushed.

Hell, I don’t even care that it’s locked to 30fps. In light of the game's quality, I'm willing to sacrifice a few frames per second. And I think it's healthy not to let technical limitations dictate your enjoyment of a game every time. When I first played Deus Ex it was at 15fps on a shitty laptop with onboard graphics, and it's still my favourite game of all time. So yeah, Okami is amazing and I'm glad I can play it whenever I like now. I'm listening to the soundtrack as I write this and feeling a powerful urge to return.

Tom Senior: Elite strats

This year I've been cheered by the gentle, ongoing presence of strategy games on PC. It's still rare to get a big blockbuster like Civilization VI every year, but War of the Chosen was brilliant, I had a good time with Dawn of War 3 before it seemed to falter after release, and Total War: Warhammer 2 is going to take over my Christmas gaming time. 

It has been an interesting year for 4X strategy games as well. Stellaris and Endless Space 2 continue to grow, and I look forward to returning to both games next year after they have had more time to mature. Age of Empires Definitive Edition will provide a nice reliable hit of nostalgia in 2018, but like Samuel I'm most excited about Age of Empires IV, whenever that's due. I've been trying to second guess Relic’s approach since the game was announced. The scale of the setting might inspire a move away from the micro-heavy approaches to recent games, and I wonder if we will see a move away from complex progression mechanics and unit upgrade systems in favour of a more sweeping, accessible RTS without the esports pretensions. The future is bright for strategy fans.

Tyler Wilde: Major players

None of my favorite games this year came from Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft, Bethesda, EA, Microsoft Game Studios, Capcom, Take-Two, Warner Bros, or Sega. It's not that these publishers have stopped putting out games I enjoy—many of them published some fine games this year—but that the selection of great PC games is becoming more and more diverse and plentiful. My best of 2017 list includes Divinity: Original Sin 2, Night in the Woods, Rocket League (which didn't come out this year but is still my most-played game), Sniper Elite 4, Absolver, and Torment: Tides of Numenera, none of which were backed by a major publisher. I couldn't say the same thing five years ago. And ten years ago? Forget it.

Chris Livingston: VR isn't dead

This is a weird one for me, because among the PC Gamer staff I've perhaps been the most skeptical of VR (possibly because I lived through the first round of VR pie-in-the-sky promises in the 1980s). And by no means have I changed my views on it: it's simply not cheap or convenient enough to become a part of mainstream gaming. And won't, I think, for another decade. Still, I think (and have always thought) the technology is neat if impractical, and I was a bit worried that after it failed to truly catch on for the PC, it might simply wither and die.

So it's been great to see that some developers and publishers are still embracing it. Bethesda went all in this year, releasing a special episode of Doom plus the entirety of Fallout 4 in VR. Both games have their issues, but they're also both extremely enjoyable through a headset. Rockstar released a truncated version of LA Noire in VR, Croteam brought us Serious Sam VR, and there were some smaller games like Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality that use the technology astoundingly well. Gamers are still interested, too: a Kickstarter for an 8K VR headset asked for $200,000 and received over $4 million.

VR isn't dead, and that's good. There's a long road ahead, major advances in the tech needed, and way more games required. It just needs more time, and the more developers (especially big ones) that keep their hats in the ring, the more time it'll have.

Wes Fenlon: Japanese games had a hell of a year

Japanese game companies have been struggling for years, having to spend more and more money to developer big games that bring in less and less cash as their players switch over to mobile. For a long time, this was only a woe for console players—we barely got Japanese games on PC at all! But holy hell, has 2017 been a great year for Japanese games everywhere. Off the PC, the Nintendo Switch has been a phenomenal success, and it's a joy to play games on. Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the best games I've ever played. Yazuka 0 was the talk of the town for months, earlier this year. Persona 5 is the most stylish RPG in ages. Nioh revitalized Team Ninja.

And on PC, the story has been just as great. Nier: Automata proved to be a smash hit beyond all expectations, and it's still being talked about constantly after being out for nine months. Sega and Platinum games brought Bayonetta and Vanquish to PC after years of fans pining, and both look and play as smoothly on PC as they deserve—easily the definitive versions of those games. Resident Evil 7 made the series scary again, something it desperately needed. With every success, it feels like Japanese developers and emboldened to plan PC builds of their games right from the start.

The highlight of my year was tapping into the excitement around Japanese games with an entire week of features devoted to them. The ones I'm most proud of are How Japan learned to love PC gaming again, which tries to capture the how and why of PC gaming finally sticking for Japanese developers, and Phantasy Star Online will never die, a feature about the incredibly welcoming fan communities still playing PSO to this day. I had both of these stories in my head for years, and publishing them was true catharsis. It's hard to imagine Japanese developers topping their 2017 output anytime soon, but that's okay. 2017 was a year of resurgence and renewed confidence, and I think everyone's excited about what comes next.

Jarred Walton: Ryzen shout, the CPUs are out

This year has been insane on the CPU front, and while we didn't award AMD's Ryzen our Best CPU of the Year, it's chiefly thanks to AMD that Intel has pulled out the stops and actually released some compelling upgrades. Starting with the Ryzen 7 parts, and then moving through Ryzen 5, Ryzen 3, and finally Ryzen Threadripper, AMD has become a viable competitor in the CPU realm once more.

My hopes for Ryzen were perhaps too high, but Ryzen 7 is still a very fast processor. The 8-core/16-thread Ryzen 7 models compete well against Intel's i7-5960X, i7-6900K, and i7-7820X, particularly in professional applications. But most games don't utilize lots of cores, so Ryzen somewhat unexpectedly does a bit poorly in games. It comes down to per-core performance, where Intel's architecture is simply better tuned at this stage.

But choice is a good thing, and we should see new Ryzen processors next year that build on this year's successes. Using an updated Zen+ architecture and a 12nm process should allow for higher clockspeeds, and hopefully AMD has refined the core design to improve latencies as well, which would boost gaming performance. There are rumors of new 400-series chipsets, but the new parts should be compatible with existing 300-series AM4 boards. Ryzen was this close to greatness, and the update may actually push AMD over the top.

Tim Clark: Finally winning something

When we moved into our new office our bosses decided to liven up the place with some motivational slogans on the walls. One of these is positioned just behind Evan's head and reads: "Results matter and success feels good". I have had plenty of time to ponder it, it wasn't until my trip to China in the summer that I truly I understood the management inspo. I was there following Muzzy's bid to win the Hearthstone Spring Championship, and though he ended up having a rough tournament, it was fascinating seeing how these young players deal with all the prep and pressure. My feature on that experience is my favourite thing I wrote this year, and China only cemented my love of the tournament scene.

I also got a tiny taste of what it's like to compete. Between the proper matches, Blizzard organised a press tournament to keep us out of trouble. Over the course of multiple 3-2 series victories (two of which I fell 2-0 behind in), and one absolute stomp against a nice Japanese lady who didn't seem to have played the game before. The rush of relief I felt when I won the final—and with a Pyroblast to face, no less—felt better than probably anything I've experienced related to gaming. Plus it meant I got to have my picture take with Ant and (the actual winner) Hoej, both of whom are absolute sweethearts.

Generally speaking I avoid any sort of serious competition, and though this was of course supposed to be a bit of fun, you better believe I took it seriously, even going so far as asking Muzzy for pick and ban advice. So I guess what I'm saying is results do matter, success does feel good. I just needed a children's card game to teach me.

This year's best mod is Fallout 4's Sim Settlements. Below, our writers share their thoughts on why it made such a meaningful difference to the game. To see the rest of our 2017 GOTY Awards, head here. 

Chris Livingston: Sim Settlements is sort of astounding to me. It gives Fallout 4 players an entirely new way to build settlements by, essentially, allowing NPCs to build their own. Designate zones for residential, commercial, or industrial buildings, and then sit back and watch your settlers erect their own buildings, randomly pulling from pools of assets so each building is a unique. As your settlement grows the NPCs will add on to their buildings, adding more props and features and even second stories. Each time you visit a settlement, you'll be able to see their progress, which gives your settlements a feeling of real life, and gives your settlers some agency. They aren't just standing around waiting for you to place every last door, bed, or stick of furniture.

The really great thing is, you can still use the vanilla settlement system at the same time, even inside the same settlement. Zone some areas for NPCs to develop, build some areas yourself. You can decide how hands-on you want to be. It's an amazingly thoughtful and well-made mod that could easily be incorporated into the game itself.

Joe Donnelly: Fallout 4's settlement system confused me at launch. With so many other things to get on with in The Commonwealth, who could be arsed piecing together makeshift HQs with rickety bed frames, recycled cinder blocks and filthy old toilet bowls? Not me, which is why I paid the Sim Settlements mod little mind when I first caught wind of it. Seriously, if I’m to be dropped into a brutal post apocalyptic world with a shed load of firearms and melee weapons at my disposal, I want to take the scores of weird, hostile and irradiated beasts knocking around to task—not playing interior designer. I get that rebuilding the world is a big part of survival, but I'd rather leave all that to someone else. Enter Sim Settlements.

To quote the mod's ModDB description: "It also feels bizarre that you have to micromanage all these people, and personally plant seeds and decide where people sleep—you're their leader, not their mother! You're supplying these people with security and tons of resources, why can't they kick in and help out with building up the city?"

To this end, my otherwise useless Sanctuary Hills-dwelling comrades were suddenly crafting buildings by their own volition in some sort of nuclear war-ravaged edition of 60 Minute Makeover. The tedium was removed from base building and it was great. And the joy of returning from several hours of roving the Wasteland to find one of my settlers' projects completed, as they toiled and moiled on their next venture was second to none. I mean, who'd have guessed Preston Garvey had such a creative streak? 

In doing so, Sim Settlements helps make Fallout 4's settlement system feel more connected to the rest of the game. Moreover, an adjustable needs system allows the basic needs of your settlers to change over time, meaning maintaining base happiness is more challenging and raid less predictable.

Phil Savage: It's such a great idea for a mod that the main game feels bereft without it. Fallout 4 is a game about communities, and Sim Settlements lets those communities work towards their own recovery.

Read Chris's impressions of Sim Settlements here.

With the right ensemble of mods, Fallout: New Vegas can look stunning. Instead of relying on a hotchpotch of player-made creations, though, one mod team is recreating Obsidian's Mojave-set interpretation of the post-apocalypse in Fallout 4's Creation Engine. 

Fallout 4: New Vegas is a project comprised of around 100 contributors from various backgrounds, and aims to reimagine Sin City with all of the 2010 original's "quests story and content, with additional gameplay elements and systems from the new and improved engine." 

Announced in August this year, here's a brief pre-alpha short:

Looks pretty neat, huh? The mod's latest ModDB devlog shows off how Fallout 4's dynamic weather system affects New Vegas with varied lighting and ever-changing atmospheric detail.Here's some screens to this end:

Fallout 4: New Vegas is without a hard release date, however its creators note that they're always interested in new recruits. If that's you, head in this direction for the mod team's application form. 

And since we're talking New Vegas, let me point you in the direction of Andy's recent reinstall. 

I'm attempting a non-lethal playthrough of Fallout 4 with the Knockout Framework mod, which lets me punch NPCs unconscious and carry them around in a sack on my back. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 

After getting punched by a bandit wearing power armor in Part 3 of my diary, I've decided I want my own set of armor, and so I'm headed to Concord where the settlement-obsessed Preston Garvey awaits. As I approach the Museum of Freedom, I bonk a few raiders unconscious with my cane, and after heading inside I bonk several more.

I'm actually starting to feel pretty confident with my non-lethal head-bashing. My biggest problem is that having put my focus on strength to be a decent melee fighter, I can't sneak worth a damn. Surprise attacks are impossible—raiders always hear me coming and turn around—and I tend to get shot a lot. Still, all the raiders I've encountered have been pretty easy to knock out, taking three hits at the most.

What's a bit harder is convincing Preston Garvey to open the door to his crummy little office for me. He insists that he'll only let me in once I've dealt with the raiders, and despite all the raiders lying concussed on the floor of the museum, the game doesn't consider them officially dealt with since they're still breathing. Which sort of sucks. Preston could easily just shoot their unconscious bodies dead himself, if only he'd open the door. But he won't.

Well, I've still got a big sack in my bag of tricks. I decide to try carrying a raider outside the building, and as I dump the first one in the street, I notice the quest log updates. Now it tells me I only have six raiders to "kill" instead of seven. I guess if they're out of the building, that counts as a kill to dear Preston. Out of sight, out of mind.

I sigh, then get to work. It's a pain, gathering up all the raiders, one by one, putting them in my sack, carrying them back downstairs, leaving the building, and dumping them in the street. But I repeat it until they're all slumbering unconscious on the pavement. Except for the one who suddenly wakes up and punches me as I go back inside. 

But the point is, as you can (sort of) see above, the quest decides I have killed all seven raiders, and I haven't actually killed any of them. I head upstairs for the eighth time, chat with Preston and his pals, and then reach the roof to acquire my very own power armor. I leave the minigun where it is and leap into the street, landing directly on two of the unconscious raiders, instantly killing them. Whoops! I have to reload and do it again—no killing allowed, even by accident.

I jump more carefully this time, land safely, and run down the street brandishing only my armored fists. I punch my way through a few more raiders until it's time for the main event: the deathclaw.

 It, uh, doesn't go so well.

The deathclaw punches me a lot harder than I punch it. Also, it's got the slick move of picking me up and body-slamming me into the pavement. Thankfully, I've got a few stimpacks and a backpack full of food, and I manage a quick retreat to heal before I start wading in again.

I've got something else, too. With all the raiders going down so easily underneath my mighty cane, I've banked a full-ass critical meter. I dash over to the deathclaw, target it in VATS, and unleash a might critical wallop.

The deathclaw goes down. It folds like a house of cards. I drop it like a bad habit. I have punched a deathclaw unconscious.

I'm also excited to see that the enormous sleeping deathclaw does indeed fit into my body sack. Hooray! I'm so thrilled I even jump up and down in the street, even though there's still a raider on a nearby roof taking shots at me. Let him shoot, I'll punch him to sleep after I've celebrated a bit.

Preston, unfortunately, isn't impressed with my unconscious deathclaw: the quest doesn't update to say I've completed it. In the meantime, though, I've got the power armor I was after and my own personal unconscious deathclaw that I suddenly realize I don't know what to do with. I even take it out of the sack back at Sanctuary Hills to have a look at it.

Yup, thats a big unconscious deathclaw I'm not allowed to kill! Well, maybe it'll come in handy somehow. I'll just carry it around with me until I figure out what to do with it.

Next week: I figure out what to do with it.

Inon Zur is a multi-award winning composer who has spent the majority of his career writing videogame scores. His resume boasts the likes of Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal, Dragon Age: Origins, Prince of Persia and Crysis, among a long list of other game projects.   

After cutting his teeth on 2001's Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, Zur went on to compose the ambient orchestral arrangements for Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 4—the latter of which is now being visited and revisited following the launch of Fallout 4 VR.

I recently caught up with Zur to chat about his career, what inspires him to write music for videogames, and how he approaches each project differently. 

PC Gamer: You've worked in television and film, but the majority of your work has been with videogames. What was it that first attracted you to games?

Inon Zur: Videogame score is very unique and a different process than movies and TV. Since the music cannot be locked to a picture (cinematics and cut-scenes being the exceptions), it has to carry a strong signature that can represent what’s going on in the game without hitting specific points. This is challenging, but the creative process is more open and the freedom to write a piece of music that has no boundaries or limitations is very rewarding. 

I also feel that many of the producers and audio directors in the game industry value the music very much and are willing to invest in a high level of production, like recording live orchestras and so on. This is what I’ve found in the scoring for games world and this is why I like to work in this medium so much.

Do you play videogames yourself—what has your relationship with games been like over the years? 

I love games, although I don’t have enough time to play them since I have to score them. I will, however, usually play the games I’m working on to get the feel of the gameplay and to make sure the music does what we want it to do.

Under Bethesda's care, the Fallout series has often adopted a '40s-style rock music OST, despite being set well into the future. Does this style of music affect the application of your ambient orchestral scores? 

Usually no. Throughout the years I developed the ‘Fallout musical signature’ that is very unique to the Fallout world and for the most part has nothing to do with the ‘40s style of music. That being said, sometimes there are crossing points where I have to tie the two musical worlds, and in these cases I definitely take into consideration the “Fallout Radio” style and try to match it with the score.

How did your approach to creating the game's overworld music change from Fallout 4, to Nuka World, to Far Harbor, if at all?

I think that in general the Fallout music style is evolving and ever-changing, based on the game content. For example, in Far Harbor the feel was more haunting and sad in comparison to the main game. I used cello solo and female solo voice to highlight the uniqueness of these worlds. Nuka World was more like a theme park, so I matched that feel with the music. Overall the main signature is not very different but I can steer it in different directions based on the story and locations.

You've now composed Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3. Firstly: Do you have a favourite? And secondly: Is there anything specific you must consider when composing Fallout music—are there any special techniques you've relied upon in all three games?

There is a definite creative approach that connects all these games when it comes to music. What we call ‘organic sound design’ is the main tool when it comes to the Fallout world of music. Rather than playing a traditional instrument to create traditional music, the way these instruments are used to being heard, I use them in a non-traditional way. Or I can use a non-musical instrument (practically any object or tool) and produce music from it.

This is what is so unique in the Fallout scores. The fact that you can hear music but not be really sure how it is actually produced. It is a nice enhancer for the mysterious and unknown world of Fallout.By the way, I also scored Fallout Tactics, which was way earlier.

Your career in videogame music spawns a number of very different games. How does your approach differ when writing a Fallout score compared to, say, Dragon Age: Origins, or Prince of Persia?

It all starts and ends wtth the story and setting. I will approach games like Dragon Age as a dark fantasy world. It has a very distinct, artistic setting—in this case, dark fantasy. I will approach it from this perspective and will try to bring to life this world from an emotional point of view within the boundaries of this style. 

The story of course has a lot of influence on the composition, but the style of the game and the world it resides in will be the biggest factor when it comes to the initial musical approach.

Of all the games you've written music for, which score have you enjoyed most and why?

I have to say that I can’t single out any specific title… I enjoy almost any project for its individual set of challenges and artistic world. 

Which game was the most difficult to write music for and why?

Usually games that don’t have a known definition—but rather a new approach in terms of the story and setting—those are the most challenging to write for. However, I must say that each project presents to me its own creative challenges, and even those that are a continuation of previous projects bring new and exciting creative opportunities.

I imagine it's a great feeling when the games you've worked on do well—not least the Fallout series. But how does it feel on your end when a game isn't received positively by critics?  

For me it’s most important to know that I did everything in my power to support the game with my music. It is sometimes hard to predict what people will embrace, but I think that I need to always stay true to myself, no matter what the outcome is. This way, even when some project is not well received, at least I know I gave it my very best.

You've won a number of awards for your work on games overs the years. Of those, are there any you're especially proud of?

Not necessarily. The awards, accolades and great reviews no doubt have a great impact and are reassuring. However, I know that they can’t really define if the score was truly deserving of such praise, they are artistic opinions that people have, and as much as I respect this, music is so very personal and subjective. 

Throughout your time in games, a number of series that you've worked on have been cancelled or discontinued. Is there any particular series you'd like to see revived?

Certainly! I would love to see Prince of Persia make a return! I greatly enjoyed working on the series and would love to write a score for a new game in this series.

Are there any series that you haven't worked on that you wish you could have been a part of?

I’m a huge James Bond fan so I would love working on a Bond score. That would be a dream project. I also like to write jazz music, so any projects that employed this style would be a real joy to compose for!

Speaking generally, how has the videogame music scene changed over time?

There are many factors that contributed to the evolution in videogame music. The first is the technical aspect—today we can fit a huge amount of memory into a game, so there is basically no limitation when it comes to space. Therefore, the quality of the music can be maximized; music can be broken into stems, the interactivity of the score can be enhanced dramatically since there are no memory space constraints and since the audio engines are more sophisticated today, the music can respond in real-time.

The second factor is the introduction of software like WWise, and other similar applications. These are working wonders when it comes to how the music is being implemented in the game. They expanded the audio director’s possibilities and made it easier and more creative than ever.

The third factor is the overwhelming success of the videogame industry—this brought more resources to the productions and therefore the composer has more budget than ever to create a high-quality score, with live recordings, quality mixes, for example.

Certainly music was always heavily valued by game developers and gamers at large, but today I believe it’s more than ever.

Inon Zur's work on Fallout 4's Nuka World and Far Harbour DLC is available now on Apple Music. 

I'm attempting to immerse myself completely in Fallout 4 VR. In my pre-war house, my husband takes a seat on the couch to watch TV, and I sit next to him—sort of. As far as the game is concerned, I'm sitting (I have chosen the 'sit' option with my controller) but while I'm positioned on the couch I'm still at my standing height. Only by squatting—physically, with my real body, I mean—can I feel like we're really chilling on the couch together, not a care in the world. It's a wonderful life, a relaxing husband and his weirdly crouching wife watching TV together, at least until the bombs start falling.

While Fallout 4 VR shows some of the shortcomings of retrofitting VR into an existing game, it's also impressively playable. I had my doubts about whether I'd really enjoy playing a game that one could easily spend 100 hours in while using a VR headset I typically want to take off after 30 minutes, but after several enjoyable hours over the weekend, I've found that VR is a great fit for Fallout 4.

Note: The gifs above and below are from video capturing the mirrored footage on my desktop while I play, which shows up at an odd resolution and not in full detail on my monitor. The game looks perfectly lovely in my headset.

Instead of racing through it for what is probably the 10th time, I spend a while in Fallout 4's introductory sequence just inspecting things. I lean close to one of my terrified neighbors as we descend into the Vault (in fact, I lean so close I can see inside her skull). In front of an armored soldier, I hunch over so I can peer into the barrel of his gun. (I don't know why—what do I expect to see in there, a bouquet of flowers?) When I meet Dogmeat I get down on one knee (my real knee) so I can look directly into his beautifully earnest doggy face. The sights and sounds I know very well at this point are made fresh and exciting again by being able to move around inside them and get closer to them than I've ever been able to before.

There's been some tailoring to accommodate the VR experience. One of the best things in Fallout 4 VR is VATS, which works a bit differently than it does in the original game. Instead of allowing you to target a specific area or areas on your enemy (or enemies) and then watching your attacks play out in a cinematic view, VATS in VR works more like a traditional bullet time effect.

Once activated, time slows down. You aim, physically, by pointing your controller (which looks like the current weapon you're holding) at your enemy. As you aim your weapon, parts of your enemy are highlighted as you center your aim on them. Then, rather than watching your attack play out as your action points are spent, you actually fire your weapon in slow-motion. Instead of pulling you out for a cinematic observation of the carnage, you feel like you're in one long unbroken fight. It's a great rethinking of the VATS feature. In fact, I found myself preferring the new VATS to the original: you feel more connected to the action. 

The Pip-Boy, unfortunately, doesn't translate quite as well. At first it's cool to hold your wrist up to your face to activate the screen (it enlarges automatically, though since you have no arms it's just sort of floating there) and scrolling through the options using the directional pad works okay after a little practice. But considering how often you use your Pip-Boy, it begins to feel like a bit of a chore after a while. Having a quick look at something, easy with mouse and keyboard, takes a good deal longer with the controllers.

The workshop experience is a bit clunky in VR, too (to be fair, it was already a bit clunky to begin with). Building elements appear nicely over one hand, as if they were little spinning holograms you were holding, and placing them is done with the other controller, though navigating the menus is much easier in the standard fashion than with the touchpads. Wearing power armor is another feature that doesn't feel quite like it should in VR. Apart from being a couple of inches taller, and having a new HUD attached to your vision, it doesn't really feel any different than running around without it.

Obviously, Fallout 4 VR hasn't been built from the ground up for a headset, and sometimes you can really feel it. I've spent some time recently playing Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, so I'm used to using my virtual hands to pull open virtual drawers and cabinets, and holding and turning items over while seeing a representation of my real mitts in front of my face. You can pick up items in Fallout 4 VR, but you don't see yourself holding anything, they just float there. Opening containers works like it does in the regular game, which doesn't do much for immersion or giving you the feeling that you can really reach out, touch things, interact.

But it's still a highly playable game in VR. I feel some of the wonder in a new way: watching the massive vault door roll open, looking up at Diamond City's gate as it rises for the first time, seeing ghouls and deathclaws lunging right in my face. I'm not one who feels motion sickness in VR, but it can sometimes be jarring or uncomfortable when something doesn't feel right. Fallout 4 VR feels right just about all the time.

Really, the only thing pulling me out of the VR experience is my knee beginning to hurt from standing on a hard floor for several hours at a stretch, but chalk that up to my old, shitty body and not to Fallout 4 VR. Without my bum knee and the inevitable sweatiness of the Vive headset, I could keep playing for hours more.

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to unspool across the decades, we decided to revisit the best superhero games on PC. The term 'superhero' is arguably a bit nebulous in games—you could say you're playing as a superhero in Dishonored or Mass Effect, for example, which isn't totally inaccurate, so instead we've focused on games that evoke superhero fiction in their imagery or themes. We've also included a non-superhero game that's fantastic for mods, and a cool themed quest from another non-superhero game. Enjoy. 

Injustice 2

As someone with only a light-touch understanding of the world of DC Comics, Injustice 2 is perfectly pitched for me. It is a delirious trip around DC's extended roster, that is nonetheless quite earnest and well-produced. Where else can I step into Aquaman’s finned lycra pants to batter a telepathic simian called Gorilla Grodd? The singleplayer story doesn’t make a huge amount of sense in the end, but I don’t mind that because it's a great superhero spectacle that has the feel of a big crossover event. Supergirl's disillusionment at discovering how Superman turned out made for a decent story hook, albeit one buried under appearances from 26 other characters who all have to magic up a reason to scrap. The super moves are hilarious too.—Tom Senior

Batman: Arkham City

Some purists prefer Arkham Asylum (not many prefer Arkham Knight), but for me the Batman fantasy isn't complete without Gotham, and it feels amazing to glide around those streets beating up thugs in an open city. In stealth and combat situations the Arkham games capture Batman's furtive power beautifully. More generally, Rocksteady's Batman games do an amazing job of realising that world and the rogue’s gallery in digital form—a hard task given how many artists have taken on Batman over the years. There's a bit of the Batman: Animated Series in there (thanks to Kevin Conroy of course), and the use of realistic textures with caricatured characters helps the game's villains seem luminous against the backdrop of that gritty, detailed city. It comes together so well that you don’t feel like just another punchy, angry videogame protagonist, you feel like The Batman.—Tom Senior

Saints Row 4

Games that make fun of superheroes can be as fun as games that take them seriously—not that Saints Row distinguishes, it will make a joke out of anything. SR4 is particularly good because the superpowers are hugely entertaining to use, in an unrestrained, game-breaking sort of way. Combining super run and super jump to vault skyscrapers is a winning feeling, and the sort of unrepentant power fantasy that I wish superhero games would capture more often. Also, the jokes are good. More jokes please. —Tom Senior

Freedom Force/Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich

Irrational's two real-time tactical games pay homage to the era of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, letting you control a squad of decent (mostly) Marvel analogues with a variety of powers. These influences are captured well in vivid-looking levels, complete with comic book-y visualised sound effects as attacks collide with enemies. Both Freedom Force games are on GOG now, and they're similarly charming and enjoyable, if a little dated. They each scored 88% in PC Gamer UK years ago, and they're still some of the most interesting superhero games around.—Samuel Roberts 

Lego Marvel Superheroes

It's a close contest between this and Lego Batman 2 out of the increasingly busy ranks of Lego superhero games on Steam, but a mash-up of the entire Marvel universe set in a nice open world Manhattan setting is just wish fulfillment for me. The story is all-new, and gradually brings more and more superheroes into the fray, including the X-Men and Fantastic Four before Marvel allegedly started brushing them to one side in favour of heroes that nobody likes (the Inhumans—though I do like the big dog). It's top fan service, and the character roster—which features everyone from Luke Cage to Squirrel Girl—has pretty much all the heroes you could want, minus Jessica Jones. She did pop up in Lego Avengers, though, to be fair.—Samuel Roberts

Chroma Squad

Even if you're not a fan of Power Rangers-type shows, you can tell that Chroma Squad was put together with love. In this funny and colourful tactical game, you're running your own show based in that genre, taking part in turn-based team combat against different enemies. It's possible you've already picked up Chroma Squad in a Humble Bundle. Give it a try if you haven't already.—Samuel Roberts 

Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3

The newest Marvel Vs Capcom didn't seem to go down that well this year, and I empathise with the disappointment towards the X-Men-less roster. Luckily, Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, which came to PC earlier this year, brings Deadpool, Wolverine, X-23 and Magneto, as well as a far prettier cel-shaded art style. I can't vouch for the online side of things, since the daily player count is less than 50 on average according to Steam Charts, but it's worth getting just to enjoy the fan service.—Samuel Roberts

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

The second South Park RPG uses superheroes as a basis for both jokes and a solid roleplaying theme. You play a new superhero joining Cartman's Coon and Friends gang, and he gives you an appropriately gross origin story to set you on your way. The game's class system lets you choose which superhero archetype you want to be, affecting your abilities in battle, and the other kids come with their own classes too. Like with The Stick of Truth's fantasy theme, you sense that the creators are poking fun at superhero media because they love it.—Samuel Roberts

SpeedRunners

SpeedRunners is a fast and frantic competitive multiplayer game with the power to end friendships. On the face of it, your objective is simple: arrive at the scene of a crime ahead of your superhero pals and save the day. But in practice this means traversing garish obstacle-laden levels at break-neck speeds—firing off grappling hooks, bombs, power-ups, and a f**k-tonne of swear words as you strive to one-up whoever stands in your path along the way. Think Mario Kart meets N++ meets a caseload of Red Bull and you're on the right lines. Interestingly, SpeedRunners was recognised as an esport by the ESL in 2015, but the section was closed the following year as a result of inactivity. Told you it had the power to end friendships.—Joe Donnelly

Special mention one: Fallout 4's The Silver Shroud quest

Alright, it's just one quest, but it's also my favourite superhero experience from any game of the last few years. In The Silver Shroud, you borrow the costume and persona of the titular fictional radio serial/comic book hero, then police the grimy town of Goodneighbor. Ghoul pal and Shroud fan Kent Connolly points you towards crime on the radio, and you confront criminals while playing the character, talking in a ludicrous over-the-top voice while they regard you as a total weirdo. I'd play a whole game as The Silver Shroud. In fact, I kind of did, stalking The Commonwealth in the goofy noirish costume any time I wasn't wearing power armour.—Samuel Roberts 

Special mention two: Grand Theft Auto 5

While Saints Row was taking the GTA formula in a wild direction, GTA stayed relatively sane and stuck to social commentary in beautifully realised modern cities. Not a superhero game, then, until modders got hold of it. Then all of a sudden you could play as Iron Man and fly around the place blowing up cards with your hands. Or you could play as Superman, Green Goblin, The Flash, and even The Incredible Hulk. The finished experienced isn't as polished as a dedicated game, but GTA 5's city is so good that causing chaos for a while in the guise of a comic book hero is a lot of fun.—Tom Senior