12 Things You Didn't Know About Fallout 3

11. S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Sounds

Since writing these articles, it's become apparent that the most inventive part of any game's design comes in creating the sound. Because releases like Fallout focus on situations that have no real-world reference (or if they do, they're not easily recreated without first dropping a couple nuclear bombs), the developers had to get creative in constructing this soundscape.

As a couple examples, the sound of the Fat Man mini-nuke launcher firing is actually the dinner bell at Bethesda studios. Honestly the biggest surprise there is that some offices have a lunchtime bell like they're schools.

Not all are just random sounds captured fresh in a studio however, as the sound that pings when entering into V.A.T.S. is actually the same one that plays when entering a combat turn in the original games.