Dogmeat
SeriesFallout
FirstgameFallout (1997)
CreatorTim Cain
DesignerJesse Heinig
Motion actorRiver (Fallout 4)
SpeciesDog

Dogmeat is the name given to various dogs featured in the role-playing game series Fallout. Dogmeat was introduced as an optional companion to the player character in the original Fallout (1997), and made a cameo appearance in Fallout 2 (1998). Other dogs named Dogmeat are featured and serve similar roles in Fallout 3 (2008), Fallout 4 (2015), and in the television series Fallout (2024).

The character has been well received, widely regarded as a series highlight, as well as one of the most popular sidekick characters in video games. River the dog's performance was positively received, and has won best video game dog for 2015.

Character design

Dogmeat was inspired by the unnamed dog of Max Rockatansky (Mad Max) from the 1981 post-apocalyptic film Mad Max 2. His initial name had been "Dogshit" and his ultimate name was derived from the opening scene of the 1975 post-apocalyptic film A Boy and His Dog, in which the main character Vic calls his dog Blood "Dogmeat". According to Fallout producer, lead programmer and designer Tim Cain, "Leonard Boyarsky, the [game's] art director ... had that movie running continuously in his office, and I think he remarked on several occasions that having a dog in the game would be really cool. [It's] why we wanted a dog in the first place." Fallout programmer and designer Jesse Heinig was credited by Cain as probably "one person to thank for Dogmeat." Heinig himself said: "My understanding is that [Fallout designer] Scott Bennie settled on the name 'Dogmeat' for the character, and it's likely that he did pick that from the story in question."[1]

In 2009, Fallout designer Chris Taylor said they "never expected that Dogmeat would become such a popular character." Taylor said: "I always intended that the various NPCs that joined up with the player would come to a violent end. I was shocked when I heard of all the work people went through to keep Dogmeat alive to the end – especially the hell that they went through with the force fields in the Military Base." According to Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas designer Chris Avellone, Dogmeat is "arguably the most successful NPC companion ever" for several reasons: "One, he doesn't talk, so the players can project a personality on to him. Two, he's effective in combat ... and three, he's a dog that stays with you through thick-and-thin. I don't think there's a deeper 'awww' sentiment than people have in their hearts for their pets."[1]

In Fallout 4, Dogmeat's motion capture was done by a German Shepherd named River.[2] On June 27, 2021, Fallout 4's senior game designer Joel Burgess confirmed via Twitter[3] that River had died.[4][5] On July 7, 2021, Bethesda Softworks and Xbox donated $10,000 to the Humane society in honor of Dogmeat.[6]

Appearances

In the original Fallout by Black Isle Studios and Interplay Entertainment, the protagonist player character, the Vault Dweller, first encounters the stray Dogmeat in Junktown. Dogmeat's former owner (an unnamed man closely resembling Max Rockatansky) died at the hands of thugs hired by a local gangster named Gizmo. If the player character feeds Dogmeat or is wearing a leather jacket, Dogmeat will follow them and fight in their defense. According to the series' canon, Dogmeat was adopted by the Vault Dweller on 30 December 2161, and killed by a force field barrier during the Vault Dweller's assault on the Master's Military Base on 20 April 2162.[7][8][9] Dogmeat was supposed to appear in the canceled film adaptation of the game as well.[10]

In Fallout 2, Dogmeat makes a non-canonical appearance in an easter egg type special encounter "Café of Broken Dreams".[9][11] During the encounter, Dogmeat can be picked up by the player character, the Chosen One, if the player approaches him wearing Vault 13 jumpsuit (or the Bridgekeeper's robes, due to a bug in the game). If the player chooses to kill Dogmeat, a man named Mel (in a reference to Mel Gibson, the actor who played Mad Max in the film) will appear and try to avenge him.[1] Dogmeat has made uncredited cameo appearances outside of the Fallout universe in Troika Games' 2001 Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (created by Fallout designer Tim Cain) and in 2004 The Bard's Tale by inXile Entertainment (headed by Fallout producer Brian Fargo). However, there were no plans to bring back Dogmeat for the original third Fallout game project by Black Isle Studios, the canceled Van Buren.[1]

An entirely different[9] dog named Dogmeat appears in Fallout 3 by Bethesda Softworks, which begins in the year 2277. His master, a scavenger, was killed by a band of raiders in the scrapyard where the dog is to be found. Dogmeat can be recruited by Fallout 3's player character, the Lone Wanderer. The dog can find objects of value across the landscape and bring them to the player.[12] Fallout 3 expansion set Broken Steel optionally (enabled by choosing the 'perk' bonus "Puppies!" after reaching 22nd experience level) allows a killed Dogmeat to be replaced by a new one (with twice as many hit points, that is a starting value of 1,000 instead of 500) whenever he dies during the game.[13]

A new version of Dogmeat appears in Fallout 4, as a German Shepherd, who cannot be killed,[14] and can still locate items in the wasteland like in Fallout 3. This version of Dogmeat also appears in Fallout Shelter.[15]

Dogmeat, dubbed "CX404", appears in the 2024 American post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout.[16] In the series, the dog is a female Belgian Malinois born from a breeding program headed by the Enclave. The program requires that underweight puppies be incinerated at birth, but Dr. Siggi Wilzig (Michael Emerson) falsifies her birth record to spare her. Wilzig cares for CX404 over the years before his research project is discovered and they both flee the Enclave. Wilzig later is mortally wounded by the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) during a shootout in Filly, and dies as Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) is escorting him to meet Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury) at the Griffith Observatory. The Ghoul adopts CX404, using her to track Wilzig's scent, which leads him to Wilzig's decapitated body, and then to a lake where Lucy has just lost Wilzig's head to a Gulper. After his chems are destroyed by Lucy during a fight with the Gulper, the Ghoul abandons CX404 as he leaves with a captive Lucy to search for replacement vials. Sometime later, the Ghoul encounters CX404 locked in a Nuka-Cola dispenser at a gas station after having been abandoned by Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton). He adopts her again, and renames her "Dogmeat". She is last seen accompanying Lucy and the Ghoul as they set out in pursuit of Lucy's father Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan).

Reception

Everyone knows that a dog is a man's best friend. Never is this truer than in a post-apocalyptic nuclear world.

— –Tom Hoggins, The Telegraph[17]

Dogmeat's character was well-received by gaming media, who saw it as one of the franchise's most iconic NPCs.[18][19][20] Dogmeat was also acclaimed by numerous publications as one of the best sidekicks,[21][17][22] and best video game dogs.[23][24] Ryan McCaffrey of IGN chose Dogmeat as the top feature he wished to return in Fallout 4.[25] Giancarlo Valdes of VentureBeat named Dogmeat one of the best dogs of 2015.[26] Reid McCarter of Kill Screen has praised it for being "obedient". He further said that "it isn't just that he's a handsome-looking German Shepherd, with wonderfully rendered, intelligent, and kind dog eyes. It isn't even that he's so quick to throw himself at any threat to the player character with a suicidal disregard for his own safety."[27] Owen Good of Kotaku called it as its "one of the most [e]motionally fulfilling features."[28] The book Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design by Scott Rogers used him as an example while discussing how the "party members don't need to be human".[29] In 2008, UGO Team stated this "undisputed champion of Fallout characters" is not "only our favorite Fallout character, he's also one of gaming's greatest dogs."[9] In 2009, Michael Fiegel of The Escapist called Dogmeat possibly the most beloved character of the Fallout universe, writing that "in an uncaring wasteland ... Dogmeat is a moral compass: Though your needle might swing towards good or evil, his center always holds strong provided you protect him."[1] In 2021, Lauren Rouse of Kotaku included Dogmeat as her "best animal companions that are the real mvps of video games", and further stated that "he can fetch, he can attack, he can be dressed up in crazy costumes and he will love you unconditionally."[30] Conversely, John Walker of Rock Paper Shotgun expressed his dislike of Dogmeat, calling it "stupid" and claiming that it "didn't have a strong headstart winning over my love. Dogmeat had a chance. But good grief, what a disastrous piece of crap he is".[31]

River, the dog who portrayed Dogmeat in Fallout 4, was awarded "Top Video Game Dog of 2015" at The CW's World Dog Awards.[32] In 2018, A Dogmeat statue has been made.[33]

Fans have modded various Fallout titles with Dogmeat-centric additions. A Fallout 3 mod that gives Dogmeat armor was compared by Conrad Zimmerman of Destructoid to the horse armor DLC from Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, "except free and functional".[34] A Fallout 4 mod allows the player to play as Dogmeat, using bites to attack enemies,[35] while the F.E.T.C.H. Collectron robot dog in Fallout 76 was modded to have Dogmeat's appearance.[36]

References

  1. ^ Fiegel, Michael (2009-07-21). "Junktown Dog". The Escapist. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  2. ^ Reynolds, Matthew (September 22, 2015). "Meet the real life German Shepherd used to motion capture Fallout 4's canine companion Dogmeat". Digital Spy. Archived 12 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  3. ^ S. Good, Owen (28 June 2021). "Rest in peace, River: Fallout 4's Dogmeat and a companion to millions". Polygon. Archived 2 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (June 28, 2021). "River, the Real-Life Dog That Inspired Fallout 4's Dogmeat, Has Passed Away". IGN. Archived 3 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  5. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (June 28, 2021). "River, the real-life dog who inspired Dogmeat from Fallout 4, has passed away". Eurogamer. Archived 27 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  6. ^ Chalk, Andy (8 July 2021). "Bethesda and Xbox donate $10,000 to the Humane Society in honor of Dogmeat". PC Gamer. Archived 16 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Black Isle Studios (30 September 1998). "Fallout 2 Manual". Fallout 2. Interplay. Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 September 2006.
  8. ^ Avellone, Chris (25 February 2002). "Fallout Bible 0". Fallout Bible. Archived 2 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  9. ^ UGO's Favorite Fallout Characters Archived 5 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine, UGO.com, 17 September 2008
  10. ^ Matt Bertz, Codec Chatter: Assassin's Creed Scribe Corey May, Game Informer, 1 October 2009.
  11. ^ "Special Encounter: The Cafe of Broken Dreams". Fallout 2 Walkthrough. GameBanshee.com. Archived 23 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 September 2006.
  12. ^ Chris Hicks, Three Fallout 3 screens – including Dog Meat | Faithful friend returns in sequel Archived 20 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine, GamesRadar, 21 April 2008.
  13. ^ Karen Schrier, David Gibso, Designing Games for Ethics: Models, Techniques and Frameworks, page 33.
  14. ^ Seitz, Dan (17 June 2015). "Good News, Pet-Loving Gamers: Dogmeat Can't Die In 'Fallout 4′". Archived 19 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  15. ^ Frank, Allegra (10 December 2015). "Fallout Shelter introduces Dogmeat and other pets to the vault". Polygon. Archived 24 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  16. ^ McMullen, Chris (April 16, 2024). "Does the Dog Die in Fallout Season 1? Answered". The Escapist. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  17. ^ Hoggins, Tom (2008-10-11). "The Greatest Sidekicks in Gaming History". The Telegraph. Archived 5 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  18. ^ Weber, Rachel (November 8, 2021). "50 iconic video game characters". gamesradar. Archived 30 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  19. ^ Lane, Rick (12 November 2021). "The 50 most iconic characters in PC gaming". PC Gamer. Archived 26 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 November 2021. – via pcgamer.com.
  20. ^ Byrd, Matthew (August 12, 2021). "15 Best Video Game NPCs Ever". Den of Geek. Archived 28 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  21. ^ GameSpot Staff (2005-05-20). "The Ten Best Sidekicks: Dogmeat". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2005-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  22. ^ Lozada, David (21 January 2019). "The best video game sidekicks ever". GameRevolution. Archived 28 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  23. ^ Lisa Foiles (25 January 2011). "Top 5 with Lisa Foiles: Top 5 Most Loyal Canine Companions". Escapistmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  24. ^ Taylor, Brian (2014-03-24). "11 Best Videogame Dogs". Paste. Archived from the original on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
  25. ^ McCaffrey, Ryan (5 June 2015). "11 Things We Want in Fallout 4". IGN. Archived 7 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  26. ^ Valdes, Giancarlo (2015-12-20). "The best dog of 2015: Fallout 4's Dogmeat vs. Mad Max's Dinki-Di vs. Metal Gear's DD". VentureBeat. Archived 19 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  27. ^ Mccarter, Reid (2015-11-12). "Dogmeat, Fallout 4, and the Anxiety of Everything". Kill Screen - Previously. Archived 19 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  28. ^ Good, Owen (2009-07-26). "Dogmeat, the Emotional Center of Fallout". Kotaku. Archived 21 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  29. ^ Scott Rogers, Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design, page 52.
  30. ^ Rouse, Lauren (23 June 2021). "7 Animal Companions That Are The Real MVPs Of Video Games". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  31. ^ Walker, John (2015-11-30). "Why I Hate Fallout 4's Stupid Dog". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived 19 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  32. ^ Makuch, Eddie (16 March 2016). "Fallout 4's Dogmeat Wins Award for Best Dog - GameSpot". GameSpot. Archived 5 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  33. ^ Webster, Andrew (11 June 2018). "This Fallout 4 Dogmeat statue looks amazing". The Verge. Archived 9 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  34. ^ Zimmerman, Conrad (2009-07-21). "Dogmeat mod for Fallout 3 protects the pooch". Destructoid. Archived 21 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  35. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (2016-03-21). "Fallout 4 mod lets you play as Dogmeat". Eurogamer. Archived 21 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  36. ^ Boudreau, Ian (2021-09-13). "Fallout 76's new Collectron dog has already been modded into Dogmeat". PCGamesN. Archived 21 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-21.