The VATS System in Fallout 3: A Last-Minute Decision by Bethesda Amid Concerns of Unused Potential

One of the most recognizable features of Fallout 3 — the VATS system — was nearly omitted from the game entirely. In an interview with Edge, artistic director Bethesda Istvan Pely revealed that the development team had serious reservations about implementing this feature.

After creating The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the studio found it challenging to shift from fantasy to science fiction. “The transition from Oblivion to Fallout 3 was a significant leap,” Pely noted. “We had to show that we could create something completely different from fantasy.” While Fallout 3 retained its RPG elements, there was the complex issue of making gunplay enjoyable despite characters having low skills and frequent misses.

This is where VATS came into play, allowing players to slow down time and select targets while shooting. However, developing this system proved to be «extremely challenging.»

Istvan Pely

One of the primary difficulties was with the camera; developers had to create a specific algorithm to prevent it from getting stuck on objects. The debugging and fine-tuning took so long that Bethesda was able to integrate it into the game literally at the last moment before release.

In hindsight, the team’s concerns appear unfounded. VATS has become an essential component of Fallout, and the studio’s transition from fantasy to science fiction has been quite successful. Following Fallout 3 came the iconic The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, followed by Fallout 4, while Fallout 76 and Starfield continued to explore the realm of science fiction.