We're pretty fanatical around these parts when it comes to Fallout 3, as it's one of the games I've been most closely involved in when it comes to covering it throughout its history. I sat in a comfy theater seat to watch Megaton blow-up at its first E3 showing. I came back to E3 the following year to actually be among the first to play it. I've reviewed the game and every installment of its downloadable content.

After hearing the announcement of two more upcoming downloadable packs – Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta – I quickly jumped at the chance to ask the guys at Bethesda what's going-on with the new DLC, talking with Joel Burgess (Lead Designer of Point Lookout) and Jeff Gardiner (Lead Producer for Fallout 3 DLC). Read on to see what they had to say.

He Isn't Chopping Wood

For those unfamiliar with the actual Point Lookout Park, can you describe such things as what's it like, what features from the park you're going to specifically use when adapting it to Fallout 3, and why this particular area was decided upon for the Point Lookout DLC?

Joel Burgess: There's incredible diversity in the Mid-Atlantic region, and we knew we wanted to take advantage of that with Point Lookout. We scouted several locations in the area, from Ocean City to Bloodsworth Island, but Point Lookout was the perfect combination of elements for our backdrop. While we've taken some significant artistic license with the geography of Point Lookout, we also drew a lot of direct inspiration from the history and landmarks of that area.

All of the Fallout 3 DLC so far has had major storylines tying all the content of that DLC together. What can you tell us about the main storyline running throughout Point Lookout?

Joel Burgess:Point Lookout is a bit unique from our other DLC in this regard. The main story arc, which involves a ghoul named Desmond, and a small band of tribals - each with their own motivations - is complemented by a significant amount of freeform quest and exploration content. We like to think of Point Lookout, the place, as our main character of this DLC.

I've heard that this area is a kind of left behind place and very swampy. When I think swamps I think things like redneck psychos in Deliverance. Is there going to be an element of that when it comes to the content and its main threat, or are we looking at the Enclave still or a more monstrous/mutated one? What type of enemies can we expect?

Joel Burgess: Another goal with Point Lookout was a deliberate shift towards a more low-tech environment. This area wasn't ground zero for any bomb strikes, but its felt the effects of the Great War in its own way. New weapons are things like a double-barreled shotgun and lever-action rifle, and our enemies are the sub-human swampfolk. While Point Lookout features some elements footed firmly in sci-fi, we really wanted to get back themes of survival and the unknown with the atmosphere of this DLC.

The Point Lookout DLC will have a larger map than past DLC areas. How much larger would you guess and does it serve a greater purpose to the overall narrative and feel of the content? What's keeping it from being a bunch of empty space meant to say, "Hey, fans said they didn't like the small maps. Fine, here's a big one just for the heck of it."

Joel Burgess: Point Lookout's main world map is an open region, so in this way it's more similar to the Wasteland than the areas explored in any prior DLC. The main story arc of Point Lookout only explores a portion of this area, but several freeform quests and points of interest flesh out the remainder of the world. We actually ran into problems with Point Lookout because the density of content is higher than many areas of the base game, which forced us to find new solutions for certain design and technical issues.

Point Lookout

Personally speaking, I always enjoying getting some new armor and weapons when it comes to the Fallout 3 DLC. What can you reveal about Point Lookout when it comes to those two topics?

Joel Burgess: As mentioned, Point Lookout focuses on a low-tech, horror vibe. The player isn't going to find a new set of power armor here, but there are new items tailored to fit this environment, such as the double-barreled shotgun featured in some of the screenshots we've released, which packs a considerable punch for those close-range scraps.

The "Easter Egg" UFO always seemed like a funny gag more than anything. Was content based around this ship always planned? If not, where did the idea come from to use this specific piece of the currently existing Fallout 3 game?

Jeff Gardiner: No, this content was not always planned - it seemed like a fun and natural fit for our 5th DLC. The idea came out of a big brainstorm meeting we had for pitching DLC themes - this one was Istvan Pely's, our Lead Artist.

How does the current UFO relate to the Mothership Zeta DLC? Does the radio signal the craft's broadcasting play a part in the DLC's story? Will we find out how/why the ship crashed in the first place?

Jeff Gardiner: The crashed ship is a scout ship which is broadcasting a beacon for rescue. The Mothership Zeta quest doesn't go into details as to why it went down.

I've heard players will be abducted in the Mothership Zeta DLC? Is there any word on how this will play on the screen? Will players just poof onto the ship? Will the old fashioned anal probes be applied? What's the spectacle basically like of seeing the ship for the first time and getting inside to play?

Jeff Gardiner: Yes, the player will be abducted, and you'll have to download the DLC to see how it plays out.

What's the main story of Mothership Zeta? Are players going to be tasked with just surviving and finding an escape or is there going to be more involved than that? Are we going to have to stave off an alien invasion, for example?

Jeff Gardiner: The general plot starts out as an escape attempt until the player figures out what the Aliens are actually up to. There are a number of other abductees for the player to interact with, and from whom they can solicit help.

What's the alien ship going to be like? Is it going to be all metal and corridors or will there be more variety or organic type elements in play too?

Jeff Gardiner: It's metallic and sterile - it's a got a great aesthetic, something totally new to the Fallout 3 fans.

Players who found the UFO also found the remains of the pilot, who looks like the old school Roswell grays for the most part. Are these the same models being used for Mothership Zeta? Will the grays be the only enemies or are there a variety of new aliens to fight side-by-side with the gray pilot witnessed in the retail game?

Jeff Gardiner: Yes, we're modeling the same basic enemy after the "Roswell grays." There are other enemies that will be uncovered as well, including alien robotics.

We've actually seen alien weaponry before. Players who discovered the UFO could pick the alien blaster up and there was a blaster in the Broken Steel DLC content too. Will Mothership Zeta be offering new weapons and armor and if so can you reveal any of them or tease them?

Jeff Gardiner: There are several new weapons; including melee and ranged weapons. The new rifle, for instance, is called the Disintegrator.

Shotgun In Action

What can you talk about in terms of perks for both pieces of DLC? How many are you looking at? What will they be called? What uses will they serve?

Joel Burgess: Point Lookout parcels out a few perks as rewards for questing and exploring the environment. My personal favorite is Superior Defender, which provides a small boost to your combat abilities, but only when you're standing your ground. There are no new perks to choose from when leveling up, however. The player is already overwhelmed with choices there, and we didn't see a need to compound that decision.

Jeff Gardiner: In Zeta the Perks will quest related.

The issue of morality has varied in terms of how it's used in DLC up till now. We've seem some smaller on scale morality choices like in The Pitt, but we've also seen complete landscape changing morality choices too. How will the two new DLC approach the issue of morality? Will there be choices to be made, and if so, can you reveal the severity of them?

Joel Burgess: Point Lookout will press the player for decisions from time to time. The morality of these choices will be more clear in some situations than in others, but generally speaking there are no blow-up-Megaton decisions here.

Each DLC has so far had a very distinct look and feel from each other. Operation Anchorage was about telling a specific story from the history of the Fallout 3 universe. The Pitt was about discovering this new land not tied to DC. Broken Steel was about setting the game right and offering a prologue of sorts. What do you want the player to ultimately takeaway from the Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta DLCs?

Joel Burgess: With Point Lookout, we hope players will come to realize how many untold stories there really are in the Fallout universe. This location is less than 100 miles from Washington DC, yet the ravages of war have affected it in a very different way. That's part of what's so thrilling about realizing the exploration gameplay central to Point Lookout, and hopefully something our players can really appreciate and enjoy as well.