What's New in GECK v1.1?

You probably already know that Fallout 3 runs on a heavily modified version of the Oblivion engine. Thanks to this, a great deal of the editor functionality and content creation workflow is similar to using the Elder Scrolls Construction Set. Users familiar with that tool will find the GECK to be a very familiar environment.

Fallout 3 is its own game, however, and to meet its needs the engine was changed and improved in many ways. Many of these changes are simple ones to improve usability or support new features, while others are sweeping, ambitious new systems.

This page is intended to serve as a hub for CS graduates to learn about those major changes found in the GECK.

For those who are ready to jump right in and get a sample of the workflow behind creating a basic level for Fallout 3, including several of these new tools, feel free to get the GECK set up and begin the "My First Vault" tutorial series.

New Features

• New Script Functions
  • The GECK has plenty of new script functions, including many functions that would have made scripting certain things in Oblivion much easier.
• Editor-created Primitives
  • The GECK features a basic system for creating scalable marker geometry for certain uses such as activator triggers and optimization bounds.
• Encounter Zones
  • Encounter Zones are part of the new leveling system and are used to unify cells as part of a singular area, or "zone".
• Quest Objectives and Notes
  • Quest Objectives are used to guide the player to Quest Targets. Notes replace Quest Journals as a way to record information that the player collects.
• Navmesh pathfinding
  • Navmesh replaces nodes as the Fallout 3 pathing system.
• Improved Occlusion Culling
  • The GECK introduces a manual system for optimizing areas using occlusion culling.
• Batch Assignment
  • Several useful operations can now be performed on large selections with this tool.
• Object Palette
  • A more robust tool for object placement can now be used for rapid content creation.
• Improved Scripted Triggers
  • Triggers can now run specifically when entered, exited, or while an actor is within.
• Emittance
  • Special Effects and Lights can take on properties of other lights, including daylight.
• 3D Preview Window
  • The Preview Window allows users to view the currently selected Object without adding an instance to the Render Window.
• Static Collections
  • Static Collections allow users to group static objects together as a single object.
• Godsend Functions
  • These are functions that Oblivion modders always wanted.