Fallout 3 (Van Buren)

Unreleased Van Buren is the codename for Interplay's Fallout 3, which was canceled on December 8, 2003. It would take place in the American Southwest, in areas such as Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado. Unlike the first two Fallout games, it would be 3D, which would allow the player to move the screen around with the mouse to get a better view of things. In addition, there was going to be real-time and classic turn-based combat, along with cooperative multiplayer.

A lot of the ideas for this game eventually appeared in Fallout: New Vegas (Caesar's Legion, NCR vs Brotherhood of Steel, Hoover Dam, etc.), making New Vegas something of a completed Van Buren with the Fallout 3 gameplay.

A tech demo and some design documents were released by No Mutants Allowed in 2007. This page will only be covering material from the tech demo.

The tech demo itself is based on what was going to be the final game's tutorial area, where the player was a citizen trying to get to a Vault as soon as America started getting nuked. However, the player is what was going to be the main character's model, not a special one they had planned for the final tutorial.

Ammo
Just like other Fallout games, it would've had ammo and several ammo types. The game's files contain a lot of unused ammo types that can't be found in the actual demo.

15mm EC


Fallout 2's 2mm EC very big brother. Used in the ARTEMIS rail gun.

2mm EC


Speaking of 2mm EC, it would've returned in Van Buren as well.

40mm Rifle Grenade
An explosive round. It finally appeared in Fallout: New Vegas.

”Naphanite”


This strange ammo type is probably for the Flamer, as its name sounds similar to "Napalm" (a gel used to create fires). Since the Flamer...shoots fire at people, it's likely to be the Flamer's ammo.

Small and Heavy Rivets
Ammo for a weapon that doesn't appear in the tech demo's files. Based on the ammo name, the gun for it would probably for a weapon that would be like Fallout 3's Railway rifle.

Needler
While not listed in the game's files, ammo icons that look a lot like Fallout 2's Needler ammo type can be found in the game's files. The Needler pistol is listed as a weapon used by Victor Presper, the main bad guy in Van Buren, in the B.O.M.B.-001 design document, so there's evidence that the Needler was going to be in the game.

Strangely, there are two icons for the AP Needler ammo.

12 Gauge Shotgun Shells
Shells for a shotgun.

.30 Cal
There doesn't seem to be any weapons that correspond to this weapon in the tech demo.

7.62mm
Yet another ammo type that has no known weapons for it.

5mm
Ammo icons that look almost exactly like the 5mm ammo icons in Fallout 1 and 2 can be found in the game's files. The B.O.M.B.-001 design document lists 5mm ammo as an item held by General Coleridge, an enemy in that area.

BB


Probably for a BB Gun, which didn't appear in the tech demo.

Micro Fusion Cell


Based on the name, it would probably be ammo for the Laser Array Gun, as the Micro Fusion Cell in other Fallout games has been used as ammo for large energy weapons.

Small Energy cell


It would probably be used for the Laser Pistol, as the Small Energy Cell was used to power small energy weapons in Fallout 1 and 2.

.44 Cal
While .44 ammo is used in the Van Buren tech demo, there is another .44 ammo icon that doesn't have a green stripe on it, while the one in the tech demo does.

.45 Cal
Ammo for the .45 Autoloader and .45 Revolver.

.50 Cal
Ammo for the .50 Revolver.

Rocket
Ammo for a non-existent rocket launcher.

Unknown Ammo images
Several of the ammo items in the Van Buren tech demo have no obvious equivalent ammo inventory icons.