See ‘Fallout 4’ Dogmeat Gameplay As Bethesda Details The Game’s New Companion Systems

After surprising gamers with the unveiling of Fallout 4 at this year’s E3 event, Bethesda already revealed that players will be able to adventure through the post-apocalyptic setting with several different A.I. companions after the title launches on current-gen platforms later this year. Further discussing these NPC followers on BethesdaNet, the developer has now shared a few additional details on what to expect from the game’s supporting cast.

In the video above, Fallout 4 director Todd Howard explained the reasons behind many of the changes that were made to the series’ use of companion characters for the upcoming new installment. While Bethesda already revealed that Fallout 4‘s companions can’t be killed, Howard revealed that the decisions to make the followers immortal was because few players ever accepted the permanent death of an in-game character even in past Fallout titles where the death of a companion was permanent.

In those instances, Howard stated that most gamers would just simply reload a previous save file to go back to a point before their companion was killed. Looking at these player metrics, it was obvious that few actually wanted these important characters to ever die. Rather than continuing to utilize the same companion death systems, Bethesda decided to make is so followers couldn’t be killed in Fallout 4.

In most of the early discussions regarding the new companion characters of Fallout 4, the developer has used Dogmeat as an example. However, Howard confirmed that players won’t be forced to travel with the faithful canine if they don’t want to. In addition to Dogmeat, players will also have plenty of other choices in companion characters in Fallout 4.

“Dogmeat is just one of around a dozen companions in Fallout 4, including Mister Handy, Piper and Preston Garvey. (And for those in the mood for love, you can romance any human companion – regardless of gender.)”

Despite the inclusion of multiple followers in Fallout 4, Bethesda continues to use Dogmeat as an example of the companion systems since there has been a dog that goes by that name featured in many entries of the series to date. Howard confirmed that when gamers first encounter Dogmeat in Fallout 4 that he will simply be known initially as only “Dog.” Eventually, however, players will finally learn his true name later in the game.

Bethesda actually worked with a real dog in order to add Dogmeat to Fallout 4. The developer explained that this helped the team to make title’s signature dog more believable.

“How did the team at Bethesda Game Studios build such a beloved canine companion? They based Dogmeat on Lead Level Designer Joel Burgess’ real-life German Shepherd, River, who visits the studio quite often. ‘If we’re going to do the dog, we need to do this right,’ Howard says.”

Filling fans in on more of the new systems coming to Fallout 4, Todd Howard also recently spoke more about the game’s crafting and customization. As reported by the Inquisitr, Bethesda hopes to give users more control over how they play the game than ever before.

Are you glad that you won’t have to worry about getting Dogmeat, or any of the other companion characters from Fallout 4, killed.

[Images via Fallout 4]