PIPBoy 2000
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The PIPBoy 2000, more commonly referred to as simply the PIPBoy, is a fictional PDA that appears in the Fallout series of games. It serves as the primary GUI that the player can use for gameplay purposes and to control the game.
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[edit] History
The PIPBoy that was used by the Vault Dweller in Fallout was given to the Vault Dweller as part of a survival kit that included a Colt 6520 and some bullets as well as a couple of flares and a random item based on the character's perks to help him or her brave the wastes. The PIPBoy is later handed down to The Chosen One in Fallout 2 along with the vault dweller's suit after the completion of the first mission. In the Fallout Tactics game there is no reference about how a Brotherhood of Steel initiate had ended up with a piece of Vault Dweller equipment.
[edit] Stealthboy
In the first Fallout an elite group of Super Mutants called the Nightkin used an item called a Stealthboy to improve their sneak skill. The Stealthboy was an inventory item that you could take from fallen enemies and could be dropped, sold or used. Not much is known about this mysterious device but from the name it is reasonable to guess that it was made by the same people who made the PIPBoy (Robco.).
[edit] Description
The PIPBoy is a specialist piece of Vault Dweller equipment. It bears the PIPBoy logo, a cheeky looking chap winking at the player and wearing a vault dweller suit. The skilldex and menu options are written in green on a black background to resemble a primitive computer interface and the separate screens are surrounded by battered and rusty metal, with a cooling vent in the lower right corner.
[edit] Usage
The PIPBoy is a GUI that the player can use to perform tasks related to the gameplay. For instance the player can look up at the character skills and previous conversations and level up. To access the PIPBoy's interface the player selects the relevant tab from the list (use skills, view inventory, use PIPBoy, pause game) in the lower right corner of the HUD. Although the device is taken everywhere by the player, it is not an inventory item and it is not seen being used in gameplay, nor can it be dropped.
[edit] Variations
The Pipboy in Fallouts 1 & 2 had an inbuilt function that allowed the player to see a top down line-drawn map of their surroundings. A scanner could be obtained that when turned on showed up any N.P.C.s in the area. In Fallout: Tactics this function was replaced by a two-dimensional isometric map of the area you were in with circles marking out mission objectives.
