Frequently Asked Questions

[@LahceneBelbachir]

4:36 "You don't wanna watch us stumble around in our own games..." Oh but you're underestimating us Mr. Cain... 😆

[@EvanChantland]

I'm glad you're doing these, Tim. It reminds me of some fun times. You were easily one of the best people I've ever worked with, it really came across that you cared about the game and the people working to make it. I'm also happy to watch these just to see that you are doing well.

[@almazingsk8er]

As a new developer (not in the games industry) this is exactly the type of comment I hope to receive down the line from my coworkers. What wonderful praise for Tim this is!

[@andybonerpower1806]

​@Miller Johnston you ain't ish you ain't even got money LOL why don't u get money

[@almazingsk8er]

@@andybonerpower1806 thanks for your input andybonerpower

[@dongvermine]

@@almazingsk8er shut it acumbag …don’t need u runnen ur lip

[@delsi3795]

​@@andybonerpower1806 you seem jealous

[@JohnPaulSaylor]

I would 100% watch you and Leonard play Fallout again. In fact, every time I start a new game of Fallout I always listen to the GDC talk you did about the development of the game, and then I watch the playthrough you did with Leonard. It's just wonderful. Thanks again for these videos, Tim.

[@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968]

I remember watching Chris Avellone play Arcanum and that was a hoot.

[@00oKMo00]

​@@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968 can you link that?

[@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968]

@@00oKMo00 Think it was part of the Pillars of Eternity Kickstarter. I'll have to find it.

[@BarracudaYT]

Congrats on the 15k subscribers! Thank you for all of the stories and behind the scenes you're sharing with us!

[@arbonthepirate]

Thank you for all that you have done over the years. Your games have always been a big part of my life.

[@Seallussus]

I gotta say your channel is my new favorite channel. There is just something about this format, your honesty, and how you seem to be just telling history not interested much in drama or vindicating your views. And obviously the incredible insights, goes without saying. I just hope we get more content

[@londonjolly9174]

Thank you for doing this, Tim! Watching developers talk about the industry and making games as a whole is extremely insightful, and I'd put what you're doing alongside the legendary Bungie Halo ViDocs and Josh Sawyer's content on design (at first specifically New Vegas, unsurprisingly my favorite game drew me in) as priceless learning for whoever will be making the next great game.

[@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968]

I've also been watching Mark Darrah's channel a bit. Definitely worth a look.

[@londonjolly9174]

@@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968 Just checked his channel out, thanks! Well of info from him also

[@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968]

@@londonjolly9174 He's a lot dryer with his delivery but his insight is excellent.

[@perplexedmoth]

I would have guessed you did C++ for Fallout and onwards. I am glad to hear you wrote portable C for Arcanum. Would you talk more about the libraries and tools you wrote in a separate video for those of us who are programmers (I believe a good number of people)? TTRPG and coding are two topics I love hearing more about from you.

[@MisterKisk]

Tim, you are an absolute treasure. It is a joy listening to you speak (as you mentioned, you're a great storyteller; but you also have a very endearing voice as well), and are a fountain of knowledge. Once I found out about your channel through reddit, I ended up binge watching all of your videos. Thank you for sharing these stories with us.

[@RockTB2022]

Tim, these are great videos. I truly enjoy hearing from you on all of these points. The insight into the industry, and into one of my favorite sets of games, has been amazing. Thank you!

[@socialcooks]

I discovered your channel yesterday and really appreciate the invaluable lessons and stories that your proving to people aspiring to work in the gaming industry! I also think that many people would enjoy stories that aren't necessarily gaming related. I, for one, am really curious to hear how you developed your passion for chocolate and why you decided to make a blog for it :)

[@blakej6416]

It always feels good to prove the naysayers wrong. Kudos, Tim!

[@valipunctro]

Who where these ppl? 😠

[@burgundian-peanuts]

@@valipunctro Watch the video. Some people tried to dissuade him from a career in games.

[@valipunctro]

@@burgundian-peanuts i know,im just in dissbelife that they exist.

[@whiteegretx]

I loved this channel since it first started. Do whatever you want, but the way you are doing it now is what I love.

[@defeatrecon]

A real gem of a channel. Looking forward to more stories! Congrats on 15k!

[@LazarSutilovic]

First of all I just want to say, as many, many people have already said before me, you are a huge inspiration for me and probably my main role model, Mr. Cain. Watching these videos has quickly become my daily activity and I eagerly anticipate every new one. It's just amazing how insightful and fun they are at the same time, and how down to earth you are for someone who many people think of as a living legend and one of the most important people in video game industry. As for the question, it's on the subject of perspective. I wonder, having made legendary games that used both types of perspective, which one do you prefer? Isometric or first/third person? Which one conveys atmosphere better in your opinion? In short, I'm interested about your general thoughts on perspective.

[@TylerMcVicker1]

Love ya Tim; even with this FAQ, people will still be asking these same questions until you are no longer doing KZbin videos. I've been doing this for over a decade, and I'm still asked the same five questions.

[@BilboBaggMan]

To be fair your probably asked where the quality of your content has gone not fallout questions

[@ZeMalta]

Thanks for giving back to the community, Tim! Hope you and your loved ones are well.

[@Mirokuofnite]

Glad you are doing these. You probably realize it, but even if you do FAQs like this expect to get the same questions over and over. Either from people who just started watching your stuff, or people who skip things. Maybe in future FAQs you can direct them to older FAQ videos. Or... Make a webpage where you answer common questions with a link and time stamp to a video, and pin that link in future FAQ videos. That might cut down on some noise, or at the least cut down on repeat questions you got to filter through.

[@DreamMarko]

Your games are some of my favorites ever. They also changed my life, got me into game development, and got me thinking about some important questions. I really appreciate you sharing your stories and expereinces with us :)

[@SpookySurprise]

I just want to say thank you for sharing your memories and stories from behind the scenes of so many iconic games. The gaming industry is lucky to have had you over these years.

[@Schizm1]

Tim, I'm just glad you're here wanting to tell all those stories. Thank you and can't wait for more!

[@ILoveCiniminis]

Sir, I'm so happy I found this channel. Thank you for the true high-quality game VTMB

[@mesirpez]

This channel is the gift that keeps on giving. been a fan of tim cains work almost my whole life and never expected to hear the story's around these games.

[@Felicat82]

I found your channel when I was looking at Fallout content and it popped up in my suggestions feed. I'm so glad it did. I now have a whole new list of old school games to look out for. They predate my ability to actually buy my own games. I'm also delighted to hear you have such a high opinion of New Vegas. I've just recently been able to start that one.

[@irvinchadwick5046]

Hello Tim. I am not very good at writing myself but I wanted to thank you for the joy you have given me in my life. I am around your age and my fondest memories is playing the bards tale series on the c64. When I started getting into pc gaming during college one of the first games I ever purchased was believe it or not rags to riches! And by the way that was a hard game. I also purchased and played wasteland when it came out and I can say I wish I could enjoy a game now they way I did that one. Anyways, I think all fans of fallout owe you a debt of gratitude for your role in its inception. Thank you Tim

[@Batistadx4]

Hearing your stories is so fascinating! If you ever end up writing a book I'd looooove to read it!! Thank you for sharing them!

[@Darkshadows9776]

I very much appreciate your perspective of relating to your age and wanting to preserve that knowledge. If we don’t share it, it never perpetuates. You’re doing great work on this channel.

[@mercai]

It's very cool and inspiring that you've established this channel and are sharing stories from the development. Revisiting some of favorite games, learning more about people and circumstances that made them happen (even though they still feel like wonders and miracles - something that I never truly experienced when actually working at dev studios, but did feel on pet projects). And that the stories are told as actual Things That Happen, and not a most-dramatic version that game documentary videos and channels usually aim for (not that those are bad, but the change of pace is welcome!) I did wonder if this is a warm-up before a game/Kickstarter announcement :D But having these stories here, in easy access, is of a big value on its own. Anyway, cool and inspiring. Thanks again!

[@MegaLittlePaw]

Hey Tim. Thanks for sharing your stories. It's very important for us, people who interested in old game development history, and Fallout ofc. BTW it's amazing to hear that you applied the module programming style to achieve the platform-independency and quick GURPS/SPECIAL swap, as a programmer myself I really appreciate to hear these examples, it kinda suggests that we are doing everything right with adopting all these techniques of the software design in our programs today. It's amazing to realise that you were a project lead for Fallout games while also being a great programmer (which kinda should've been obvious or at least suspected, but still these little details tell a lot about your personality).

[@Quimbyrbg]

Congratulations on your channel subscriptions. I'm not familiar with your work but am enjoying tales of development. This format works well, and I enjoy having something to put on to listen to while I walk. I hope you get what you are looking for out of this channel.

[@somasatori9117]

I'm in the fourth year of my PhD and also feel that "do I really want to do this" to my core. Mine is clinical psychology, so very different disciplines, but I think all PhD students have the same shared cultural experience of doubting the path. Glad you found something so great for yourself! I am about the age my mom was when she died, that's a weird and rough time, in my experience. Looking forward to hearing more about your experiences with these games that were such a huge formative part of my youth!

[@personperson5521]

These stories have been wonderful and fascinating. Im extremely happy to hear your side of events, not just because "oh renown person speaks" but time is moving on and we are losing our ability to document the history of these wonderful and important games, so hearing stories from anyone i think is incredibly important. So flawed as they may be, thank you for sharing them

[@mortelaprendiz88]

Dude, in all honesty, thank you for what you have done. 3 years ago when we got all arrested at home bc covid, me and my best friends started d&d for the first time and I remember how, after writing for weeks my fallout roleplaying system, I uploaded an old photo of you in Interplay as my profile picture in the web we used to use to play d&d online. Since 2020, me and my group of friends have struggled to see each other as much as we would want to, but somehow my Fallout roleplaying game has managed to keep the group together through the years. Next week the party will probably get to turn on the legendary Highway man. Thanks for all, Tim.

[@Cheyne_TetraMFG]

I’m curious if a Fallout behind-the-scenes/cut content channel called TriangleCity has gotten in touch to do an interview. He does great videos and he seems like a real nice guy, I’m sure he’d be stoked to speak to you and it would certainly put a lot of his previous cut content videos into context, with regards to Fallout (1) specifically.

[@ItsPeeksofficial]

Love your videos man, you made me love the Fallout series, from 1 to 4, i love them all

[@sheriffwolf736]

Love your work, Mr. Cain. I am a newcomer to the works you and your wonderful team made (I just turned 22) and I just have to say... I LOVE THEM! College is really grinding me down into mush (not to toot my own horn but Medicine is possibly one of the hardest challenges one can face in life) and so being down in these mines really zaps all your energy out of you. Fortunately, I still have a sliver of time that I can spend on gaming, and your worlds simply are breathtaking! That's it really, no questions no nothing. Just a good old "thank you" for your unmeasurably comforting works.

[@huge_letters]

Thank you for your content! I really like both your stories and your delivery! I'm very thankful this industry has someone like you

[@xPrecisionx]

I hope you realize how much this effort means to the fans. Thank you, Tim.

[@locomotivefaox]

Love these videos, Tim, they’re all super interesting.

[@pancakewizard1533]

Appreciated the principled stances here, Tim. You're definitely on the tiny wholesome island in the sea of KZbin!

[@lenorkhide2873]

Loving your stories, a great lunch time companion! You have had a really cool career

[@Adamthegeek70]

Your telling includes your animated facial expressions. :D They probably convey your joy better than just words.

[@xxyoboigxx]

I really like you telling these stories and processes. Like your explanations of how you do things, only enrich the stories you tell on this channel. It's like they unintentionally compliment each other. For this alone it's really hard for me not to think of you as a teacher figure just trying to help us understand parts of the industry that could be misconstrued or there's a part that people just don't out right understand that you want to touch on and the personal stories are there to help express the importance of what you talk about. Not only that, but the stories alone are entertaining, and i even find some knowledge in them, even if it is just a goofy ramble that you just wanted to release out in the world. Long comment short, i love what you're doing on this channel, and i only hope to see more, learn more, and hear more about what you learned and experienced.

[@michelvanderlinden8363]

Your videos have truly been insightful and I enjoy listening to them. I know it was your job and all, but I still want to say thanks for your contribution to videogame history and the future. You, and many of your other previous coworkers, really gave millions of people endless hours of entertainment and memories.

[@Di0nysys]

Love everything you're doing with this channel. Your work has been greatly inspirational to me Tim.

[@AndrewH9999]

Sorry to hear about your father, i lost mine when he was 56. Thanks for these videos i love hearing old storys!

[@stevenmccombie7969]

I've been really enjoying your channel. You seem like just a cool genuine positive dude. It's neat to hear stories about these games so many of us old dudes played on release.

[@peacechief]

I'm an aspiring game developer. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience! I am soaking up every video!

[@vlander1992able]

I'm a young small time indie dev and I hope I can absorb 50% of the knowledge you've gained through experience. I just played fallout 1 for the first time and found this channel by sheer coincidence and I wanted to say thank you.

[@chad77777]

I would really think a video talking in depth about the work on VTMB with Leonard and/or Jason would be awesome! Love the channel!

[@StavrosNikolaou]

Thanks for the F.A.Q. I would certainly buy and read that book. Your stories are absolutely fascinating! I hope you keep making games for many years in the future! ps: More Arcanum stories please 😊

[@Abracadaniels]

Arcanum blue balls :D Really wished you could release the code and let the fans make a proper overhaul.

[@o4zloiroman]

Thanks for having patience with us Tim, we're just so excited to have someone from the industry to actually communicate with fans, that's why you're getting so overwhelmed.

[@MoragTong]

thanks for all your work, good sir :) tim, greetings from a fan who was just a wee kid when fallout and fallout 2 hit and was absolutely mindblown by the amazing work you all did. i'm glad you're doing fine and it's great you took the time to do these videos

[@bezceljudzelzceljsh5799]

thank god youtube put you in my feed. keep telling stories, there's much to learn.

[@myron4445]

love this channel tim, fun to hear you sit and talk about your experience with game development

[@TheSmokinPotato]

truly speaks to your programming skills that your code works after all these years you are really PRO grammer

[@Ozzymand]

You're a legend man, keep up the videos, I really love hearing about the behind the scenes on my two favorite games!

[@minecraftkid50978]

Thank you for sharing all of this, I’ve been watching since a week or two after you started if I’m not wrong and I’ve loved every single upload! As someone who’s always loved games and even has their interest for game development started by modding fallout 3 and new Vegas and hearing the tales of how fallout 1 and outer worlds came to be… it’s inspiring, you’ve introduced me to the idea it’s okay to be passionate about it and do what I love by any means I can (such as buying a prebuilt game and working off the top of it as it sounds easiest for me being nearly green). So thank you! Thanks for sharing it all and reading the comments and giving the people who love your games and work a little real deal behind the scenes perspective all out in the open for free. I hope you’re having a good day and a good life and this channel brings you as much positivity as it has some of us

[@electro_spectre]

Tim, I just wanted to let you know that I just watched the video of you and Leonard playing Fallout (1) last night. While it's true that there are many people out there doing that sort of thing (playing a video game to/with an audience) and that they may have been doing it longer or "better" - don't discount yourselves or your experience!! I think, at least for myself, part of the appeal of watching/listening to folks playing a video game is to get an idea of another person's view or perspective. It was very very fun to listen to you and Leonard make quips about people emailing asking for more rats. That's not exactly the type of thing I'd get from listening to any old yahoo play a game!

[@failbit]

I'm really interested in the engines that you developed for your games, is there any chance for you to make a video about them, from an architectural and technical standpoint ? It always blows my mind when i hear the stories about the software development in the early days of videogames ! Loving the videos, you are such an inspiration for me !

[@LunarBulletDev]

Your videos are gold! Please do talk more about game design and dev processes!!!

[@mrpedantic]

I appreciate you and your efforts. Old-head game devs making KZbin channels just to talk shop are great. You and Sandy Petersen are on the same level.

[@midnightpizzagoblin]

Just discovered your channel a few days ago and I've never subscribed so fast.

[@opiterturpilinus2248]

I am sure this is a stupid question but can we see this recompiled Arcanum also congrats of the 15k and to here's to a 15k more

[@theadoremarquis6749]

So cool getting to hear directly from the Father of Fallout on a regular basis!

[@ssuuppeerrbbooyy]

I was introduced to Fallout through a PC Gamer magazine CD, which included a demo version. At about 10 years old it helped me learn english - it was among the first games i played where you actually had to understand what the characters were saying. Fell in love with it - you actually got to pick a side between metal armor gang and leather armor gang. You couldn't create a custom character so I loved leveling up, though i think the most you could get was level 3 if you spammed doctor skill, first aid and killing everyone. Also loved the little easter egg where you got the "this game is awesome" text if you interacted with the PC on a counter. A few years later I randomly found a Fallout and Fallout 2 bundle in a DVD box in a small games store - picked it up immediately.

[@EdwinRodriguez-pl1jc]

Honestly looking forward to every video you post because your storytelling is amazing 👌🏽 loved your video about disneyland and video game design

[@jonathonpolk3592]

I love these vids! Since you raised the issue here, i wanted to ask: on a practical level, whats the difference in the process between story writing for a book and story telling for a game?

[@danimal118]

Honest hearts survivalist storyline in New vegas made me tear-up. The story telling in new vegas was awesome.

[@et2000]

This is a gem just found about this channel!

[@MrIncendiarySquirrel]

Tim, I feel like I need to say this because the coincidence is incredible. I'm 24 y.o. PhD student seriously considering leaving the course and entering the games industry, following the death of my grandmother this year - it's completely changed my perspective in a way very similar to how you describe. I'm getting all the same feedback from my peers regarding throwing away an opportunity, and of course I find that very dissuasive. However, you have been a great source of inspiration in the past few months, when times have been so difficult for me. I hope you read this comment because I want you to know that your experiences and your channel are giving me great comfort and reassurance to follow a dream of mine. Cheers! -James

[@CainOnGames]

Good luck, James. Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy it.

[@alexfrank5331]

I also really like your approach for tucking platform specific code into its own library. The best strategems are the ones that feel intuitive yet people often don't think of it until its too late. Have you thought about compiling all your architectural philosophy and strategies? I think a very common problem that persists despite the great leaps in technology is... people with passion but no experience write code that chokes themselves... resulting in less productivity and worse performance. It often feels like the things taught to young engineers haven't really grown since SOLID and "time/space complexity." Even though veterans know that those basics are the tip of the iceberg to being successful.

[@gatomaru]

Hey Tim! I grew up playing video games made by you or people from your era, sadly back in the day we didn't the internet so i have no idea about how things were for game designers/programmers back in the day. Could you take a trip down memory lane and tell us how it was back in the day? How did someone end up making games? How did an idea get approved and developed? What were the average budgets, production times, salaries, How were publishers, deeadlines etc. It would be nice to have an idea of how it was and how the games i grew up playing came to be

[@documentthedrama8279]

Tim your games changed my life. I love you man. I hope one day you'll lead another fallout project.

[@hunterlee6286]

It would be really great to see you play through your old games. Giving insight and fun facts as you play. If you’d want to do that I know many people would watch 👍.

[@Maxdamageplus]

First time I’ve heard anything about an Outer Worlds 2, and it’s awesome to hear, especially from this channel of all things

[@SiC83]

So i was 14 when fallout was released, Ive played it multiple times since then, but I remember going out to meet my other teenage friends and discussing where the we could find the water chip :) Fallout for me was not only a very fine pastime, it influenced my taste in music and books , it made me pick up RPGs because I got to relive the emotions I got when I first played it. Thanks to those hobbies I got to meet people that I get to call my friends to this day. Thank you !

[@techieg33k]

Thank you for this channel and keep doing what you're doing

[@F00dstamp96]

Thank you for doing this! Please don't feel like you owe us anything. We just like listening to ya'

[@cristitanase6130]

Questions: Can you remember the idea, concept and history behind the various substance consumables you can use in Fallout and their effects, from Nucacola to Mentos and Buffout. Did any of it caused any controversies, moral panics or issues during or after development? How did you guys developed the AI of the party members? Any stories? How did you choose them? Who created them and such? Some of the characters are animated and voiced, why? And why not all? There are also "spicy" moments in Fallout like a brothel, adult movie studio, shutgun wedding, any stories about those? No one objected or had issues with them? Did GECK had a story behind? Was any talks about making merch, movies, comics, board games or any other type of extra content out of Fallout back then? Oh... and the demo, the gangs fighting, was that inspired from a movie somehow? It was amazing btw. Thank you for your superb work, and for the videos.

[@jesperburns]

I didn't even play Fallout 1 and 2, I still enjoy the industry insights, specifically how things got decided and made (as in how much producer meddling and crunch/rush). And on that note, I'd enjoy listening to a conversation between you and Josh Sawyer, on decision making. But I get that that's not on the horizon.

[@misterspock1]

I think you underestimate how much we would enjoy watching you stumble around in your old games! 🙂

[@DungeonDiving]

"You don't want to watch us stumble around our own games" -- Yes we do :D

[@jacobcaudill6357]

Im sorry for your loss, I lost my father in my mid 20's as well.

[@abelsalgadoromero4402]

Game preservation is something I worry a lot and that's why I love open source engine reimplementations. Knowing the code of an old game could be recompiled makes me happy and sad at the same time, and makes me wish companies did not hoard rights so that at least the engine (leaving assets aside) could be freely available for community to maintain and improve.

[@KRG30001]

Thanks for documenting all this

[@askoldnya]

4:30 I've watched that multiple times, it was fun!

[@Jake-lx1wf]

In all the stories you tell, your Mom sounds like an amazing woman. It's great to hear that she never stopped encouraging you from pursuing your dreams.

[@GABA-Gool]

I actually really enjoyed watching you play Fallout. You struggled as much as I did. lol

[@allgomesareevil6121]

I do like story time with "uncle" Cain, these are very informative and so cozy 😊

[@MrOswald]

I love the way you express your ideas Tim, always with such respect. I know you haven't asked, but personally no, I wouldn't like to see Bethesda remaster Fallout 1, or 2. I play this classic from the GOG platform and with only two mods, the game works perfectly on Windows 10 (never gave me any compatibility problem). I understand that you no longer own the rights to the original game, but I wouldn't want Bethesda to change the original ideas. Personally, I feel that Fallout 1 is perfect as it is. And about the beginning of Fallout 2, I didn't know you had other ideas around the "initiation" temple. Of course, I would have liked that you could skip that kind of tutorial or that it was optional, especially since the vast majority of us who played the second installment already knew practically everything about the Fallout 1 system and how work. Thanks for the video, and congrats on the 15k subscribers!

[@alexfrank5331]

I love how your programmer problem-solving efficiency is applying to KZbin.

[@ColeDaniels]

Hey Tim, I've just discovered your channel and had to watch this before I asked. What do you think about Once Lost Games and the parting Elder Scrolls crew? It's hard to comment as an outsider but I imagine your leadership qualities would be a huge asset in a group like that. Have they ever reached out to you or have you ever been in touch with them to team up on a project? Thanks and sorry if you have answered elsewhere. As a huge fan of both Fallout and the lore behind the Elder Scrolls I can't think of anything better than all the real people behind these wonderful worlds working together to put the triple A industry back in it's place! ;D

[@pgrapidz]

"New Vegas rocks" That's all I needed to hear, so glad you enjoyed it

[@ragemachinist]

Thank you for your work Tim, years of enjoyment :)

[@Farbo01]

Hi Tim, thanks for your vids, it is really refreshing to hear some honest thoughts😊 a funny story I would like to share with you. I Can remember when I was a child and I created My char, and I could not choose My own age because 16 was the youngest you could Pick. Last time I played it I could not Pick My age, because 35 is the oldest you Can Pick. I am now 39😂 Honestly thank you for a lifetime full of Fallout, you and the team made a great game.. Bedt regards Tim from Denmark

[@ali8283]

Thank you for making the Fallout franchise. It is my favourite game series of all time.

[@AndrewH9999]

Congrats on 15k!

[@hansmoleman2666]

It’s good your sharing all your knowledge and wisdom, even if you might not want to call it that lol, too many older people pass without imparting that knowledge though and it’s such a shame.