document_title: Fallout (series)

question_text: where does the new fallout game take place

text: Fallout (series)

text: Games[edit]

text: Main series[edit]

text: Timeline of release years1997Fallout1998Fallout 2199920002001Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel200220032004Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel2005200620072008Fallout 320092010Fallout: New Vegas20112012201320142015Fallout ShelterFallout 4201620172018Fallout 76

text: Fallout (1997)[edit]

text: Released in 1997, Fallout takes place in a post-apocalyptic Southern California, beginning in the year 2161. The protagonist, referred to as the Vault Dweller, is tasked with recovering a water chip in the Wasteland to replace the broken one in their underground shelter home, Vault 13. Afterwards, the Vault Dweller must thwart the plans of a group of mutants, led by a grotesque entity named the Master. Fallout was originally intended to run under the GURPS role-playing game system. However, a disagreement with the creator of GURPS, Steve Jackson, over the game's violent content required Black Isle Studios to develop the new SPECIAL system.[5] Fallout's atmosphere and artwork are reminiscent of post-WWII America and the nuclear paranoia that was widespread at that time.

text: Fallout 2 (1998)[edit]

text: Fallout 2 was released in 1998, with several improvements over the first game, including an improved game engine, the ability to set attitudes of non-player character (NPC) party members and the ability to push people who are blocking doors. Additional features included several changes to the game world, including significantly more pop culture jokes and parodies, such as multiple Monty Python and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-referencing special random encounters, and self-parodying dialogue that broke the fourth wall to mention game mechanics. Fallout 2 takes place eighty years after Fallout, and centers around a descendant of the Vault Dweller, the protagonist of Fallout. The player assumes the role of the Chosen One as they try to save their village, Arroyo, from severe famine and droughts. After saving the village, the Chosen One must save it again, this time from the Enclave, the remnants of the pre-war United States Government.

text: Fallout 3 (2008)[edit]

text: Fallout 3 was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released on October 28, 2008. The story picks up thirty years after the setting of Fallout 2 and 200 years after the nuclear war that devastated the game's world.[6] The player-character is a Vault-dweller in Vault 101 who is forced to flee when the Overseer tries to arrest them in response to their father leaving the Vault. Once free, the player is dubbed the Lone Wanderer and ventures into the Wasteland in and around Washington, D.C., known as the Capital Wasteland, to find their father. It differs from previous games in the series by utilizing 3D graphics, a free-roam gaming world, and real-time combat, in contrast to previous games' 2D isometric graphics and turn-based combat. It was developed simultaneously for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 using the Gamebryo engine. It received highly positive reviews, garnering 94/100,[7] 92/100,[8] and 93/100[9] averages scores on Metacritic for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, respectively. It won IGN's 2008 Overall Game of the Year Award, Xbox 360 Game of the Year, Best RPG, and Best Use of Sound, as well as E3's Best of the Show and Best Role Playing Game.

text: Fallout 4 (2015)[edit]

text: Fallout 4, developed by Bethesda Game Studios, was released on November 10, 2015. On June 3, 2015 the game's website went live revealing the game along with its box art, platforms, and the first trailer.[10] The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, of the in-game New England Commonwealth and features voiced protagonists.[11][12][13][14] The Xbox One version has been confirmed to have mods as of 2016. Bethesda also confirmed mods for PlayStation 4, after lengthy negotiations with Sony.[15] A virtual reality version of the game was released on December 11, 2017.[16]Fallout 4 takes place in the year 2287, ten years after the events of Fallout 3. Fallout 4's story begins on the day the bombs dropped: October 23, 2077. The player's character (voiced by either Brian T. Delaney or Courtenay Taylor), dubbed as the Sole Survivor, takes shelter in Vault 111, emerging 210 years later, after being subjected to suspended animation. The Sole Survivor goes on a search for their son who was taken away in the Vault.

text: Spin-off games[edit]

text: Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (2001)[edit]

text: Tactics is the first Fallout game not to require the player to fight in a turn-based mode, and it is also the first to allow the player to customize the skills, perks, and combat actions of the rest of the party. Fallout Tactics focuses on tactical combat rather than role-playing; the new combat system included different modes, stances, and modifiers, but the player had no dialogue options. Most of the criticisms of the game came from its incompatibility with the story of the original two games, not from its gameplay. Fallout: Tactics includes a multiplayer mode that allows players to compete against squads of other characters controlled by other players. Unlike the previous two games, which are based in California, Fallout Tactics takes place in the Midwestern United States. The game was released in early 2001 to generally favorable reviews.

text: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (2004)[edit]

text: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel became the first Fallout game for consoles when it was released in 2004. It follows an initiate in the Brotherhood of Steel who is given a suicidal quest to find several lost Brotherhood Paladins. Brotherhood of Steel is an action role-playing game, representing a significant break from previous incarnations of the Fallout series in both gameplay and aesthetics. The game does not feature non-player characters that accompany the player in combat and uses heavy metal music, including Slipknot, Devin Townsend, and Killswitch Engage, which stands in contrast to the music of the earlier Fallout games, performed by The Ink Spots and Louis Armstrong. It was the last Fallout game  developed by Interplay.

text: Fallout: New Vegas (2010)[edit]

text: Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and released on October 19, 2010.[17] The development team included developers who previously worked on Fallout and Fallout 2.[18][19] Fallout: New Vegas is not a direct sequel to Fallout 3;[20][21] rather, it is a stand-alone product.[20][22] Events in the game follow four years after Fallout 3 and offer a similar role-playing experience, but no characters from that game appear.[21] The player assumes the role of a courier in the post-apocalyptic world of the Mojave Wasteland. As the game begins, the Courier is shot in the head and left for dead shortly before being found and brought to a doctor in the nearby town of Goodsprings, marking the start of the game and the Courier's search for their would-be murderer. The city of New Vegas is a post-apocalyptic interpretation of Las Vegas.

text: Fallout Shelter (2015)[edit]

text: Fallout Shelter is a simulation game for Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The player acts as the Overseer, building and managing their Vault and its dwellers, sending them into the Wasteland on scouting missions and defending the Vault from attack. Fallout Shelter was released for iOS on June 14, 2015, Android on August 13, 2015, and for PC on July 15, 2016. On February 7, 2017, Bethesda launched Fallout Shelter on Xbox One. On June 10, 2018, Bethesda announced and launched Fallout Shelter on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

text: Fallout 76 (2018)[edit]

text: Fallout 76 was announced on May 30, 2018. The announcement was preceded by a 24-hour Twitch live stream that showed a Vault Boy bobblehead toy in front of a monitor with the "Please Stand By" test pattern screen that teased the announcement. This stream was watched by a total of over two million people and over 100,000 people watching at almost any time.[23] The stream concluded with a brief message from Bethesda's Todd Howard, prior to a teaser trailer set to the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads". The trailer features scenes of Vault 76 (a location regarded in Fallout 3 as being a "control Vault" in the Washington D.C. area, that was not subjected to experimentation),[24][25] which is decorated to celebrate an event referred to as "Reclamation Day"; a Pip-Boy device listing the current date as October 27, 2102 (just over 25 years after the Great War); an unknown dweller of Vault 76 and a broadcast containing the statement: "When the fighting has stopped and the fallout has settled, you must rebuild".[26][27]

text: At the Bethesda E3 press conference on June 10, 2018, Howard confirmed that Fallout 76 would be the first online multiplayer game in the franchise, with a choice to play solo if the player wishes. It is set in West Virginia, with a majority of monsters and enemies based on regional folklore. There will be no non-player characters in the game. The map of Fallout 76 is four times larger than its predecessor Fallout 4. It is scheduled to be released on November 14, 2018.[28]

text: Canceled games[edit]

text: Fallout Extreme[edit]

text: Fallout Extreme was a title in development for several months in 2000 but was canceled.[29]

text: Fallout Tactics 2[edit]

text: Fallout Tactics 2 was a proposed sequel to Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, although it was originally conceived as a sequel to Wasteland, the video game that inspired the Fallout series. It was developed by Micro Forté, but the production was cancelled in December 2001 after the poor sales of Fallout Tactics.[30]

text: Van Buren (Black Isle Studios' Fallout 3)[edit]

text: Van Buren was the codename for the canceled version of Fallout 3 developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment. It featured an improved engine with real 3D graphics as opposed to sprites, new locations, vehicles, and a modified version of the SPECIAL system. The story disconnected from the Vault Dweller/Chosen One bloodline in Fallout and Fallout 2. Plans for the game included the ability to influence the various factions. The game was cancelled in December 2003 when the budget cuts forced Interplay to dismiss the PC development team. Interplay subsequently sold the Fallout intellectual property to Bethesda Softworks, who began development on their own version of Fallout 3 unrelated to Van Buren. Main parts of the game were incorporated into Fallout 3 and its add-ons as well as Fallout: New Vegas.

text: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2[edit]

text: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2 is the canceled sequel to Brotherhood of Steel. The development of the game started before the completion of the original, and its development caused the cancellation of the "Van Buren" project. Like its predecessor, the game would have used the Dark Alliance Engine. It was targeted for a Christmas 2004 release date.[31] It featured fourteen new weapons and ten new enemies. The game would have used a simplified reputation system based on previous entries; depending on whether the player was good or evil, the game would play out differently. Each of the four characters that were playable had a different fighting style, therefore every new play-through would have been a different experience. It had two player co-op action for players to experience the game with their friends. The Dark Alliance Engine would be fleshed out to refine player experience. A new stealth system would have been added to the game. This system would have allowed players to stalk enemies or stealthily assassinate them with a sniper rifle. For characters that could not use the sniper rifle, Interplay added a turret mode allowing those characters to use turrets.[32]

text: Fallout Online[edit]

text: Fallout Online (previously known as Project V13) was a cancelled project by Interplay and Masthead Studios[33] to develop a Fallout-themed massively multiplayer online game. It entered production in 2008.[34] In 2009, Bethesda filed a lawsuit against Interplay regarding Project V13, claiming that Interplay has violated their agreement as development has not yet begun on the project.[35] On January 2, 2012, Bethesda and Interplay reached a settlement, the terms of which include the cancellation of Fallout Online and transfer of all rights in the franchise to Bethesda.[36] Since then, Project V13 has been revived as a completely different project called Mayan Apocalypse, unrelated to Fallout.

text: Gameplay[edit]

text: SPECIAL[edit]

text: SPECIAL is a character creation and statistics system developed specifically for the Fallout series. SPECIAL is an acronym, representing the seven attributes used to define Fallout characters: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. SPECIAL is heavily based on GURPS, which was originally intended to be the character system used in the game.

text: The SPECIAL system involves the following sets of key features:

text:
Attributes (listed above) represent a character's core, inbred abilities. Attributes stay largely constant throughout the game, though they can be temporarily affected by drugs, altered indefinitely by conditions such as the wearing of Power Armor, the presence of certain NPCs or eye damage received in a critical hit, or permanently changed at certain points in the game through use of certain items or by taking certain perks.
Skills represent a character's chance of successfully performing a group of specific tasks (such as firing a gun, or picking a lock). They are represented as percentages, though these percentages can extend well beyond the expected maximum of 100%, at increased cost for skills over 100%. The SPECIAL stats continually add bonuses to skills. This is done passively, i.e. if the SPECIAL stats change, the bonuses are automatically and instantly adjusted. Skill Points that are earned each time the character levels up can be used to raise skill percentage. At character creation, the player also selects three Tag Skills — Skills which can be increased at multiples of the normal rate, starting at one skill point per 2% skill at under 101% skill.

text: The SPECIAL system was used in Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel. A modified version of the system was used in Fallout: Warfare, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 4. Fallout Shelter, the only mobile game in the series, also uses a form of SPECIAL.

text: Aside from Fallout games, modified versions of SPECIAL were also used in Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (also referred to as Fallout Fantasy early in production), a fantasy role-playing video game that involved spirits and magic in addition to the traditional SPECIAL features, as well as the cancelled project Black Isle's Torn.

text: The Pip-Boy and Vault Boy[edit]

text: The Pip-Boy (Personal Information Processor-Boy) is a wrist-computer given to the player early in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76 which serves various roles in quest, inventory, and battle management, as well as presenting player statistics. The model present in Fallout and Fallout 2 is identified as a Pip-Boy 2000, and both games feature the same unit, used first by the Vault Dweller and later inherited by the Chosen One. Fallout Tactics contains a modified version of the 2000 model, called Pip-Boy 2000BE, while Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas uses a Pip-Boy 3000. Fallout: New Vegas also has a golden version of it, called the Pimp-Boy 3Billion that is given to the player as a reward for completing a quest in a certain way. Fallout 4 contains a modified version of the 3000, called the Pip-Boy 3000 Mark IV. Fallout 76 also contains a modified version of the Pip-Boy, called the Pip-Boy 2000 Mark VI, which is another version of the Pip-Boy 2000.

text: The Vault Boy character is Vault-Tec's mascot, and is a recurring element in Vault-Tec products in the game world.[37] This includes the Pip-Boy, where the Vault Boy illustrates all of the character statistics and selectable attributes. From Bethesda's Fallout 3 onward Vault Boy models all of the clothing and weaponry as well.[38] The character was originally designed by Leonard Boyarsky, based partly on Rich Uncle Pennybags' aesthetic from the Monopoly board game, and drawn for Fallout by George Almond for the first few cards and by Tramell Ray Isaac, who finalized the look of the character.[39]

text: Series overview[edit]

text: Setting[edit]

text: The series is set in a fictionalized United States in an alternate history scenario that diverged from our reality following World War II.[40] The transistor was not invented, while vacuum tubes and atomic physics became the cornerstones to scientific progress, eventually achieving the technological aspirations of the early Atomic Age and locking society into a 1950s cultural stasis. Thus, in this alternative atompunk "golden age", a bizarre socio-technological status quo emerges, in which advanced robots, nuclear-powered cars, directed-energy weapons, and other futuristic technologies are seen alongside 1950s-era computers and televisions. The United States divides itself into 13 commonwealths and the aesthetics and Cold War paranoia of the 1950s continue to dominate the American lifestyle well into the 21st century, leading to America becoming a fascist police state and ultimately abandoning its democratic ideals in favor of a plutocratic system and pure capitalism. Political dissidents were sent to prison camps where they were experimented on, and anyone who spoke out against the Enclave-controlled government were executed en masse in the streets.

text: More than a hundred years before the start of the series, an energy crisis emerged caused by the depletion of petroleum reserves, leading to a period called the "Resource Wars" – a series of events which included a war between the European Commonwealth and the Middle East, the disbanding of the United Nations, the U.S. invasion of Mexico, as well as the annexation of Canada, and a Chinese invasion and subsequent military occupation of Alaska coupled with their release of the "New Plague" that devastated the American mainland. These eventually culminated in the "Great War" on October 23, 2077, a two-hour nuclear exchange on an apocalyptic scale, which subsequently created the post-apocalyptic United States, the setting of the Fallout world.

text: Vaults[edit]

text: Having foreseen this outcome decades earlier, the U.S. government began a nationwide project in 2054 to build fallout shelters known as "Vaults". The Vaults were ostensibly designed by the government contractor Vault-Tec as public shelters, financed by junk bonds and each able to support up to a thousand people. Around 400,000 vaults would have been needed, but only 122 were commissioned and constructed. Each Vault is self-sufficient, so they could theoretically sustain their inhabitants indefinitely. However, the Vault project wasn't intended as a viable method of repopulating the United States in these deadly events. Instead, most Vaults were secret, unethical social experiments and were designed to determine the effects of different environmental and psychological conditions on their inhabitants. Experiments were widely varied and included: a Vault filled with clones of an individual; a Vault where its residents were frozen in suspended animation; a Vault where its residents were exposed to psychoactive drugs; a Vault where one resident, usually the Vault's Overseer, is sacrificed each year; a Vault with only one man and puppets; a Vault where its inhabitants were segregated; two Vaults with disproportionate ratios of men and women; a Vault where the inhabitants were exposed to the mutagenic Forced Evolutionary Virus (F.E.V.); and a Vault where the door never closed, exposing the inhabitants to the dangerous nuclear fallout. A few control Vaults were made to function as advertised in contrast with the Vault experiments, but were usually shoddy and unreliable due to most of the funding going towards the experimental Vaults. Subsequently, many Vaults had their experiments derailed due to unexpected events, and a number became occupied by raiders, mutated animals or ghouls.

text: Post-War conditions[edit]

text: In the years after the Great War, the United States has devolved into a post-apocalyptic environment commonly dubbed "the Wasteland". The Great War and subsequent nuclear Armageddon has severely depopulated the country, leaving large expanses of property decaying from neglect. In addition, virtually all food and water is irradiated and most lifeforms have mutated due to high radiation combined with mutagens of varied origins. Despite the large-scale devastation, some areas were fortunate enough to survive the nuclear apocalypse relatively unscathed, even possessing non-irradiated water, flora, and fauna. However, these areas are exceedingly rare. With a large portion of the country's infrastructure in ruins, basic necessities are scarce. Barter is the common method of exchange, with bottle caps providing a more conventional form of currency. Most cities and towns are empty, having been looted or deserted in favor of smaller, makeshift communities scattered around the Wasteland.

text: Many humans who could not get into the Vaults survived the atomic blasts, but many of these, affected by the radiation, turned into so-called "ghouls." While they were given an extended lifespan, many lost their hair and their skin decayed. Often, their voices became raspy giving them a zombie-like appearance. Ghouls often have a hatred towards humans due to jealousy or in response to discrimination. Ghouls typically resent any comparison to zombies, and being called a zombie is viewed as a great insult. If ghouls continue to be exposed to high levels of radiation, irreversible damage to their brains can cause them to become feral ghouls that attack almost anything on sight, having lost their minds.

text: Factions[edit]

text: This  section describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Although the wastelands of the Fallout series are home to innumerable self-supporting groups, there are a number of factions who have a significant presence across the former United States. These factions are often the major players in the larger events of each game's primary storyline. In Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4 the player's actions determine which factions emerge from the game's events victorious.

text:
The Brotherhood of Steel is a neo-knightly organization formed from the remnants of the United States military. The group is dedicated to the collection and preservation of pre-war knowledge and technology, sometimes putting technology above human life, and is noted for its extensive use of high-tech suits called power armor. Seen as elitist, the Brotherhood believes that anyone outside their ranks is incapable of handling the power of technology, bringing them into conflict with other factions. There are significant divisions within the Brotherhood over how to carry out their ideology, however, and with most groups isolated from each other geographically they have evolved in different directions. On the East Coast, in the D.C. area (also known as the Capital Wasteland), the Brotherhood takes on the form of protectors of the wastes, defending human settlements from Super Mutants and helping distribute clean water throughout the region. The Commonwealth division - which has ties with the D.C. branch - also protects the local human survivors from mutants and other threats but acts more like an occupying army. In the Mojave region, the Brotherhood is radically isolationist and has warred with the NCR and other factions.
The Enclave is an organization that descended from the pre-War éminence grise of the U.S. federal government and acts as the main antagonist in Fallout 2 and Fallout 3. They have access to superior technology available before the War, such as plasma weaponry, Vertibirds, and have developed a new platform of power armor off the pre-War X-01, dubbed "advanced power armor", and later developing "Hellfire armor". Their main goal (in Fallout 2 and Fallout 3) was to wipe out all mutation in the Wasteland so that they can restore the pre-War U.S. of old, which, given the pervasive radiation and background FEV virus, is almost every living thing in the Wasteland besides themselves, due to their genetic "purity".
The New California Republic (NCR) is a constitutional republic and is the largest faction in the wasteland in terms of landmass and population. The NCR bears resemblance to the pre-War United States with a commitment to "old world values". Originating in Shady Sands, California by a group of survivors of Vault 15, the NCR has expanded and taken holdings in Nevada, Oregon, and Baja California, along the Colorado River. Despite being democratic and generally socially tolerant, the NCR is also highly militarized and is keen to annex any territory they deem advantageous. Though not nearly as vicious in its conquests as their rival Caesar's Legion, the NCR does have a history of violence against locals who oppose annexation, such as the Great Khans of the Mojave. The NCR holds Hoover Dam during the start of Fallout: New Vegas.[41]
The Church of the Children of Atom is a religious organization with groups scattered all across the Wasteland. The group worships a deity named Atom as well as radiation which they refer to as His "Glow", seeing nuclear weapons as physical manifestations of Atom and thus treating them as objects of worship. Members often intentionally expose themselves to high levels of radiation and many are ill and/or physically affected as a result, while others have developed high levels of tolerance to radiation. The groups located in the Capital Wasteland are small and generally peaceful while in the Commonwealth their religion has grown larger and more fanatical.
Caesar's Legion is one of the main antagonists of Fallout: New Vegas and is an autocratic, traditionalist, imperialistic slavery society, and totalitarian dictatorship. Ruled by Caesar (real name Edward Sallow), a former member of the Followers of the Apocalypse who originated the Legion in Arizona and later expanded it into Colorado and parts of Utah, eventually conquering 87 different human tribes. Basing its culture and ideals on those of the historic Roman Empire, the Legion has relentlessly expanded its borders, enslaving the people it encounters and forcibly assimilating them to Caesar's ideology, obliterating their native cultures in the process. The Legionnaires willingly reject most modern technology (save for that involved in armaments) and their society is based on a strict caste system. Men must become Legion warriors and wear approximations of ancient Roman armor. Women have no rights and are forced into servitude, mostly for housework and reproduction. Despite its brutality, some wasteland survivors appreciate the Legion for bringing order to previously savage regions that other factions, like the NCR, have ignored.
The Followers of the Apocalypse are a loosely organized collective dedicated to humanitarian work and the recovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge.  Originating in the town of Boneyard in the NCR, they can be found throughout the Western regions, often running medical clinics. They are frequently considered "anarchist rebels" by various factions (chiefly the NCR) due to their lack of loyalty to any specific government. Despite this label, the Followers are a nonviolent group and frequently assist the player characters in their travels.
Mr. House is one of the main antagonists of Fallout: New Vegas and the owner and proprietor of New Vegas, the Post-War version of Las Vegas. Before the war, he was the founder and CEO of RobCo., the company that designed and manufactured most of the robots and computers found throughout the Wasteland. He had predicted the Great War well before it happened and spent 12 years developing a plan to save his home city of Las Vegas from destruction. Though he managed to save most of the Vegas Strip, radiation from nearby bombs devastated the surrounding area. Hoping to guide human progress following the apocalypse, House used his scientific innovations to extend his life and eventually rebuild Las Vegas into New Vegas. At the start of Fallout: New Vegas, Mr. House rules the Strip as a "benevolent dictator" (as he puts it) with the aid of local human survivors and an army of police robots called Securitrons, believing the nuclear war had proven democracy to be too flawed to ever work. He is formally allied with the NCR and plays it off against the Legion in order to prevent either one from being able to annex New Vegas. Mr. House is loosely based on Howard Hughes.
Raiders is a generic term for roving bands of human cutthroats and bandits, though in some areas the various groups are organized, such as the Fiends. Raiders are typically hostile, aggressive, and quite sadistic, having descended to a level of brute savagery. They are generally depicted like the gangs in the Mad Max films, wearing odd assortments of leather and metal scrap as armor. Raiders are often drug-addicted and sometimes cannibalistic.
Super Mutants are a type of mutation resulting from infection of the "Forced Evolutionary Virus", which turns humans into hulking and sterile creatures. They are not a single unitary faction. A subtype of these mutants is the Nightkin, who are skilled in stealth.
The Unity was the name of the Master's idealized vision of humanity, as well as his own organization, including the Master's Army and the Children of the Cathedral. They are the main antagonists of the original Fallout game.
The Institute is an advanced scientific organization that appears as a main faction and antagonist in Fallout 4. They have arisen from surviving scientists and professors at the Commonwealth Institute of Technology (abbreviated C.I.T.), an in-game analog of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The people of the Institute originally tried to help the people of the Commonwealth, but tensions between them and wastelanders caused them to give up on the post-apocalyptic Wasteland and think of it as a lost cause and live underground in isolation, sending out androids they have created known as "synths" to infiltrate and monitor above ground society. The Institute engages in institutionalized torture, murder, and subversion. Their atrocities are the reason for the paranoia that people could be snatched away in the night and replaced.
The Railroad is a covert organization formed to aid synths desiring to escape the Institute. The name is based on that of the Underground Railroad, which aided African Americans seeking to escape slavery in the Southern United States. The Railroad smuggles synths out of the Institute, then supplies them for their new lives in the Wasteland, and usually out of the Commonwealth. Due to high levels of suspicion and prejudice against synths in the Wasteland, as well as antagonism from the Institute, the Railroad operates under great secrecy.
The Gunners are the largest mercenary group in the Commonwealth and are a military-themed, well-organized and equipped group of for-hire killers with their own customs and signage who control numerous large strongholds in and around the Boston area. They were responsible for the dissolution of the Commonwealth Minutemen during the Quincy Massacre. In 2287, Quincy remains one of their key bases of operations.
Talon Company is the largest, paramilitary mercenary company operating in the Capital Wasteland. During the events of Fallout 3, they are in loose affiliation with the Enclave, but also accepting contracts from an unknown but malevolent source for the killing of any egregious force for good in the Wasteland, though they have also accepted other jobs such as fighting the Super Mutants. Their position following  the defeat of the Enclave and the consolidation of the area by the Brotherhood of Steel is unknown.
The Regulators are a vigilante organization, based in the Capital Wasteland and dedicated to hunting down and killing those who do evil in their territory. As with Talon Company, it is unknown what effect the consolidation of the Capital Wasteland under the Brotherhood of Steel may have had on their operations.
The Minutemen are a loosely-organized citizen militia based in the Commonwealth, modeled after its namesake group in colonial-era New England that fought in the American Revolution. This iteration's goal is to protect settlements from various dangers such as raiders, Super Mutants, and ghouls, and to unite them under one banner to make the Commonwealth a better place to live.

text: Influences[edit]

text: Fallout draws from 1950s pulp magazine science fiction and superhero comic books, all rooted in Atomic Age optimism of a nuclear-powered future, though gone terribly awry by the time the events of the game take place. The technology is retro-futuristic, with various Raygun Gothic machines such as laser weaponry and boxy Forbidden Planet-style robots. Computers use vacuum tubes instead of transistors, architecture of ruined buildings feature Art Deco and Googie designs, energy weapons resemble those used by Flash Gordon, and what few vehicles remain in the world are all 1950s-styled. Fallout's other production design, such as menu interfaces, are similarly designed to resemble advertisements and toys of the Atomic Age. Advertising in the game such as billboards and brochures has a distinct 1950s motif and feel. The lack of retro-stylization was a common reason for criticism in spin-off games.

text: A major influence was A Boy and His Dog, where the main character Vic and his dog Blood scavenge the desert of the Southwestern United States, stealing for a living and evading bands of marauders, berserk androids, and mutants. It "inspired Fallout on many levels, from underground communities of survivors to glowing mutants."[42] Other film influences include the Mad Max series, with its depiction of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In the first game, one of the first available armors is a one-sleeved leather jacket that resembles the jacket worn by Mel Gibson in Mad Max 2.[43]

text: Tabletop games[edit]

text: Fallout: Warfare[edit]

text: Fallout: Warfare is a tabletop wargame based on the Fallout Tactics storyline, using a simplified version of the SPECIAL system. The rulebook was written by Christopher Taylor, and was available on the Fallout Tactics bonus CD, together with cut-out miniatures. Fallout: Warfare features five distinct factions, vehicles, four game types and 33 different units. The rules only require ten-sided dice. The modifications to the SPECIAL system allow every unit a unique set of stats and give special units certain skills they can use, including piloting, doctor, and repair. A section of the Fallout: Warfare manual allows campaigns to be conducted using the Warfare rules. The game is currently available for free online from fansite No Mutants Allowed and several other sources. It has also been chosen for many awards and won game of the year.[citation needed]

text: Exodus[edit]

text: Exodus is a role-playing game published by Glutton Creeper Games using the d20 Modern/OGL system. At the beginning of the development this game was known as Fallout: Pen and Paper - d20 however all connections to Fallout were dropped after a legal dispute with Bethesda.

text: Fallout[edit]

text: A board game titled Fallout was announced by Fantasy Flight Games in August 2017 for a November release.[44]

text: Fallout: Wasteland Warfare[edit]

text: The tabletop wargame Fallout: Wasteland Warfare was announced by Modiphius Entertainment in April 2017.[45] It is scheduled for release in March 2018.[46]

text: Legal action[edit]

text: Interplay was threatened with bankruptcy and sold the full Fallout franchise to Bethesda, but kept the rights to the Fallout MMO through a back license in April 2007 and began work on the MMO later that year. Bethesda Softworks sued Interplay Entertainment for copyright infringement on September 8, 2009, regarding the Fallout Online license and selling of Fallout Trilogy and sought an injunction to stop development of Fallout Online and sales of Fallout Trilogy. Key points that Bethesda were trying to argue is that Interplay did not have the right to sell Fallout Trilogy on the Internet via Steam, Good Old Games or other online services.  Bethesda also said that "full scale" development on Fallout Online was not met and that the minimum financing of 30 million of "secured funding" was not met. Interplay launched a counter suit claiming that Bethesda's claims were meritless and that it did have the right to sell Fallout Trilogy via online stores via its contract with Bethesda. Interplay also claimed secure funding had been met and the game was in full scale development by the cut off date. Interplay argued to have the second contract that sold Fallout voided which would result in the first contract that licensed Fallout to come back into effect. This would mean that Fallout would revert to Interplay. Bethesda would be allowed to make Fallout 5. Bethesda would also have to pay 12% of royalties on Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 and expansions plus interest on the money owed. On December 10, 2009, Bethesda lost the first injunction.[47]

text: Bethesda shortly afterward tried a new tactic and fired its first lawyer, replacing him and filing a second injunction, claiming that Interplay had only back-licensed the name Fallout but no content. Interplay has countered showing that the contract states that they must make Fallout Online that has the look and feel of Fallout and that in the event Interplay fails to meet the requirements (30 million minimum secure funding and "full scale" development by X date) that Interplay can still release the MMO but they have to remove all Fallout content. The contract then goes on to list all Fallout content as locations, monsters, settings and lore.[citation needed] Bethesda has known that Interplay would use Fallout elements via internet emails shown in court documents and that the contract was not just for the name.[48] The second injunction by Bethesda was denied on August 4, 2011, by the courts. Bethesda then appealed the denial of their second preliminary injunction. Bethesda then sued Masthead Studios and asked for a restraining order against the company. Bethesda was denied this restraining order before Masthead Studios could call a counter-suit.[49] Bethesda then lost its appeal of the second injunction.[50]

text: Bethesda then filed motion in limine against Interplay. Interplay then filed a motion in limine against Bethesda the day after. Shortly after, the trial by jury which Bethesda requested on October 26, 2010, was changed to a trial by court because the APA contract (aka the second  contract that sold Fallout to Bethesda) stated that all legal matters would be resolved via a trial by court and not a trial by jury. The trial by court began on December 12. In 2012, in a press conference Bethesda revealed that in exchange for 2 million dollars, Interplay gave to them full rights for Fallout Online. Interplay's rights to sell and merchandise Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel expired on December 31, 2013.

text: Reception and legacy[edit]

text:
Aggregate review scores

Game

Year

Metacritic

Fallout

1997

89/100[51]

Fallout 2

1998

86/100[52]

Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel

2001

82/100[53]

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

2004

PS2: 64/100[54]XBOX: 66/100[55]

Fallout 3

2008

PC: 91/100[56]PS3: 90/100[57]X360: 93/100[58]

Fallout: New Vegas

2010

PC: 84/100[59]PS3: 82/100[60]X360: 84/100[61]

Fallout Shelter

2015

71/100[65]

Fallout 4

2015

PC: 84/100[62]PS4: 87/100[63]XONE: 88/100[64]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2015)

text: The Fallout series has been met with positive reception. The highest rated title is Fallout 3 according to review aggregator Metacritic.

text: Controversy and fandom[edit]

text: Not all fans are happy with the direction the Fallout series has taken since its acquisition by Bethesda Softworks. Notorious for their vitriolic support of the series' first two games, Fallout and Fallout 2,[66][67] members centered around one of the oldest Fallout fansites, No Mutants Allowed, have cried foul over departures from the original games' stories, gameplay mechanics and setting.[67] Minor criticisms include the prevalence of unspoiled food after 200 years, the survival of wood-framed dwellings after a nuclear blast, and the ubiquity of Super Mutants at early levels in the game.[67] More serious criticisms involve the quality of the game's writing, a perceived lack of verisimilitude, the switch to a first-person action game format, and the reactiveness of the surrounding game world to player actions.[67][68][69] In response, Jim Sterling of Destructoid has called fan groups like No Mutants Allowed "selfish" and "arrogant"; stating that a new audience deserves a chance to play a Fallout game; and that if the series had stayed the way it was back in 1997, new titles would never have been made and brought to market.[70] Luke Winkie of Kotaku tempers these sentiments, saying that it is a matter of ownership; and that in the case of Fallout 3, hardcore fans of the original series witnessed their favorite games become transformed into something else and that they are "not wrong" for having grievances.[67]

text: The redesigned dialogue interface featured in Fallout 4 received mixed reception by the community.[71][72] Unsatisfied fans created mods for the game, providing subtitles and allowing the player to know what their character would say prior to choosing it as it was in previous games in the franchise such as in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.[73][74] Though even taking the mods into account, Patricia Hernandez of Kotaku still criticized the writing of the game in her review, describing it as "thin", "You never have particularly long or nuanced conversations with the other characters. I like to play a Charisma-focused character, and I was disappointed."[75]

text: Film adaptation[edit]

text: In 1998, Interplay Entertainment founded the film division Interplay Films to make films based on its properties, and announced that a Fallout film was one of their first projects, along adaptations of Descent and Redneck Rampage. In 2000, Interplay confirmed that a film based on the original Fallout game was in production with Mortal Kombat: Annihilation screenwriter Brent V. Friedman attached to write a film treatment and with Dark Horse Entertainment attached to produce it.[76] The division was later disbanded without any film produced, but Friedman's treatment was leaked on the Internet in 2011.

text: In 2009, Bethesda Softworks expressed its interest in producing a Fallout film.[77] After four extensions of the trademark without any use, Bethesda filed a "Statement of Use" with the USPTO in January 2012.[78] In next month, instead of a Fallout film, a special feature was made, entitled "Making of Fallout 3 DVD",[79] which was accepted as a film on March 27 of the same year.[80] This action removed the requirement to continue to re-register that mark indefinitely. In the DVD commentary of Mutant Chronicles, voice actor Ron Perlman stated that if a Fallout film was made, he would like to reprise his role as the Narrator. In 2016, Todd Howard stated that Bethesda had turned down the offers of making a film based on Fallout, but that he did not rule out the possibility.[81]


document_title: Jack Smith (Hotmail)

question_text: who co-founded hotmail and then sold it to microsoft

root

text: Jack Smith (Hotmail)

text:
Jack Smith

Born
c. 1968 (age 49–50)[1]

Occupation
CEO of Proximex

Known for
co-founded Hotmail.com

tag: table

text: Jack Smith, along with Sabeer Bhatia, founded the first free web-based email service, Hotmail.com, in 1996.[1]

tag: p

text: He has been the CEO of Proximex since 2007.[2]

text: Career[edit]

text: Jack Smith worked at FirePower Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc., where he designed integrated circuits for use in high performance PowerPC workstations, and invented and marketed the first web server accelerator card that boosted server performance significantly.

text: Later on at Apple Computer, he worked on several of Apple's early PowerBook computers.[3]

text: He has been the founder and president of EEE.com, building custom Internet web solutions.[4]

text: Smith came up with the idea for anonymous web-based email in 1995, and worked with Sabeer Bhatia, his colleague at Apple, to found the company.[1] The company opened on July 4, 1996 [5] with Smith as its Chief Technology Officer.

text: In December 1997, Bhatia sold Hotmail to Microsoft for a reported $400 million.[6]

text: Smith went on to co-found Akamba Corporation and work as its CEO.

text: He had also served as a Director of Engineering of Microsoft, first heading its Hotmail engineering division, and then leading a team developing next generation Internet software infrastructure.[7]

text: In 2007 he was named CEO of Proximex.[3]


document_title: Dollar Shave Club

question_text: who makes the blades for dollar shave club

text: Dollar Shave Club

text: History[edit]

text: Dollar Shave Club was founded by Mark Levine and Michael Dubin. The pair met at a party and spoke of their frustrations with the cost of razor blades. With their own money and investments from start-up incubator Science Inc., they began operations in January 2011 and launched their website in April 2011.[5][6][7][8]

text: Dollar Shave Club was backed by a variety of venture capitalists. In March 2012, seed investors provided $1 million in funding from groups that included Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Andreessen Horowitz, Shasta Ventures, and others.[9] The same group, joined by Venrock, provided $9.8 million in series A funding in October 2012.[10] A year later, a $12 million series B round was raised led by Venrock, Comcast Ventures, New World Investors and Battery Ventures. Amidst the fundraising announcement, Dollar Shave Club announced it would be expanding its product line to include a dozen other men’s products in 2014.[11] In June 2015, the company secured $75 million in series D funding.[12]

text: On July 19, 2016, Dollar Shave Club was acquired by Unilever for a reported $1 billion in cash.[13]

text: Membership[edit]

text: Dollar Shave Club offers three membership plans, which can be upgraded or downgraded at any time.[14]  The membership service first launched March 6, 2012, via a YouTube video that went viral.[15] The YouTube video attracted an unanticipated amount of traffic, that crashed the company’s server in the first hour.  Once Dubin got the server working, he enlisted a team of friends and contractors to help fulfill the 12,000 orders that arrived in the first 48 hours of launching the video.  The orders were initially packed by hand in a warehouse in Gardena, California, before the company moved their warehouse and fulfillment to a third-party logistics center in Kentucky.[2]

text: Since the membership launch, the company has acquired 3.2 million subscribers.[16] Although the company primarily markets its products to men, approximately 20% of its customers are women.[17]

text: Products[edit]

text: Dollar Shave Club offers three plans: "The Humble Twin" (two blades per razor, five razors per month, $3 per month), "The 4X" (four blades, four razors, $6) and "The Executive" (six blades, four razors, $9).[18] Each subscription comes with a compatible handle.

text: Most of the razor handles and blades are not made by Dollar Shave Club, but rather are re-sold Dorco products.  [19][20]

text: The company also sells related accessories, such as shave butter,[21] wet wipes,[7] and moisturizer.[22]

text: In late 2012, the company launched its program in Canada and Australia.[23][24]

text: In 2015, the company expanded its product line to include hair care products, called "Boogie's".[25] The line includes hair gel, hair cream, hair paste, hair clay and hair fiber.[26]

text: In May 2015, the company began hiring writers and editors for a new website, Mel Magazine, which went online in late 2015. The website contains editorial content described by the company as "men's lifestyle topics".[27][28]

text: In December 2015, Gillette filed a patent infringement lawsuit that claimed Dollar Shave Club used its patented formulas to manufacture copycat blades.[29][30]

text: In February 2018, the company launched in the United Kingdom.

text: Promotion[edit]

text: On March 6, 2012, the company uploaded a YouTube video entitled “Our Blades Are F***ing Great” featuring CEO Michael Dubin, delivering his speech in a nonchalant and sarcastic manner.[31]  The video prompted 12,000 orders in a two-day span after it was released, and has received over 24 million views as of February 2017.[3][32]

text: The video won “Best Out-of-Nowhere Video Campaign” at the 2012 AdAge Viral Video Awards.[33] Dollar Shave Club was awarded a 2013 Webby Award in the Fashion & Beauty category [34] and earned the People's Choice Webby Award in the Consumer Packaged Goods category.[35]

text: On June 4, 2013, Dollar Shave Club released a second video on YouTube called "Let's Talk About #2", which again starred its CEO and promoted One Wipe Charlies.[7] The video won the Shorty Award in 2014 for best use of Social Media.[36]

text: In 2014, Dollar Shave Club and its One Wipe Charlies teamed up with the Colon Cancer Alliance in an effort to help “wipe out” colon cancer.[37] The company reports that during National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month it reached 23 million people in spreading the message about the importance of getting screened. The company also donated $10,000 to the Colon Cancer Alliance, contributing a percentage of One Wipe Charlies' sales and putting a dollar value on social shares.[38] As part of the campaign, Michael Dubin had his own colonoscopy streamed live online.[39]


document_title: Smoke on the Water

question_text: who sang lead vocals on smoke on the water

text: Smoke on the Water

text: Composition[edit]

text: "Smoke on the Water" is known for and recognizable by its central theme, developed by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. It is a four-note blues scale melody in G minor, harmonised in parallel fourths. The riff, played on a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar by Blackmore, is later joined by hi-hat and distorted organ, then the rest of the drums, then electric bass parts before the start of Ian Gillan's vocal. The opening lyrics are:

text:
We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile, we didn't have much time

text: Jon Lord doubles the guitar part on a Hammond C3 organ played through a distorted Marshall amp, creating a tone very similar to that of the guitar. Blackmore usually plays the main riff using a finger pluck [7] or occasionally a plectrum upstroke (to accentuate the tonic).[8]

text: In the August show in 1972 in Tokyo, Japan, Blackmore played the intro as follows:

text:
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
------8-10_----8-11-10__------8-10_-8-----
---10-8-10_-10-8-11-10__---10-8-10_-8-10__
---10-------10-------------10---------10__

text: There are two solos in the song; the first was performed on guitar by Ritchie Blackmore, and the second was performed on an organ by Jon Lord until the song fades out.

text: History[edit]

text: The lyrics of the song tell a true story: on 4 December 1971 Deep Purple were in Montreux, Switzerland, where they had set up camp to record an album using a mobile recording studio (rented from the Rolling Stones and known as the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio—referred to as the "Rolling truck Stones thing" and "a mobile" in the song lyrics) at the entertainment complex that was part of the Montreux Casino (referred to as "the gambling house" in the song lyric). On the eve of the recording session, a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention concert was held in the casino's theatre. This was to be the theatre's final concert before the casino complex closed down for its annual winter renovations, which would allow Deep Purple to record there. At the beginning of Don Preston's synthesizer solo on "King Kong", the place suddenly caught fire when somebody in the audience fired a flare gun toward the rattan covered ceiling, as mentioned in the "some stupid with a flare gun" line.[9][10] Although there were no major injuries, the resulting fire destroyed the entire casino complex, along with all the Mothers' equipment. The "smoke on the water" that became the title of the song (credited to bass guitarist Roger Glover, who related how the title occurred to him when he suddenly woke from a dream a few days later) referred to the smoke from the fire spreading over Lake Geneva from the burning casino as the members of Deep Purple watched the fire from their hotel. "It was probably the biggest fire I'd ever seen up to that point and probably ever seen in my life" said Glover, "It was a huge building. I remember there was very little panic getting out, because it didn't seem like much of a fire at first. But, when it caught, it went up like a fireworks display". The "Funky Claude" running in and out is referring to Claude Nobs, the director of the Montreux Jazz Festival who helped some of the audience escape the fire.

text: Left with an expensive mobile recording unit and no place to record, the band was forced to scout the town for another place to set up. One promising venue (found by Nobs) was a local theatre called The Pavilion, but soon after the band had loaded in and started working/recording, the nearby neighbours took offence at the noise, and the band was only able to lay down backing tracks for one song (based on Blackmore's riff and temporarily named "Title No. 1"), before the local police shut them down.

text: Finally, after about a week of searching, the band rented the nearly-empty Montreux Grand Hotel and converted its hallways and stairwells into a makeshift recording studio, where they laid down most of the tracks for what would become their most commercially successful album, Machine Head (which is dedicated to Claude Nobs).

text: The only song from Machine Head not recorded entirely in the Grand Hotel was "Smoke on the Water" itself, which had been partly recorded during the abortive Pavilion session. The lyrics of "Smoke on the Water" were composed later, primarily by Gillan and based around Glover's title, and the vocals were recorded in the Grand Hotel.

text: Because of the incident and the exposure Montreux received when "Smoke on the Water" became an international hit, Deep Purple formed a lasting bond with the town. The song is honoured in Montreux by a sculpture along the lake shore (right next to the statue of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury) with the band's name, the song title, and the riff in musical notes. The new casino in Montreux displays notes from the riff as decoration on its balustrade facing the gambling hall.

text: On the Classic Albums series episode about Machine Head, Ritchie Blackmore claimed that friends of the band were not fans of the classic "Smoke on the Water" riff, because they thought it was too simplistic. Blackmore retaliated by making comparisons to the first movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony, which revolves around a similar four note arrangement.[11]

text: Impact[edit]

text: "Smoke on the Water" was included on Machine Head, which was released in early 1972, but was not released as a single until a year later, in May 1973. ("Never Before" and "Space Truckin'" were the first singles issued from the album.) The band members have said that they did not expect the song to be a hit, but the single reached number 4 on the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States during the summer of 1973, number 2 on the Canadian RPM charts, and it propelled the album to the top 10. Live performances of the tune, featuring extended interplay between Blackmore's guitar and Jon Lord's Hammond organ would become a centrepiece of Deep Purple's live shows, and a version of the song from the live album Made in Japan became a minor hit on its own later on in 1973.

text: The principal songwriters included the song within their subsequent solo ventures after Deep Purple had split up. Ian Gillan in particular performed a jazz-influenced version in early solo concerts. The band Gillan adopted a feedback-soaked approach, courtesy of Gillan guitarist Bernie Torme. This song was also featured live by Ritchie Blackmore's post-Deep Purple band Rainbow during their tours 1981–83, and again after Rainbow was resurrected briefly in the mid-1990s and for three European concerts in June 2016.

text: During Ian Gillan's stint with Black Sabbath in 1983, they performed "Smoke on the Water" as a regular repertoire number on encores during their only tour together. It remains one of the few cover songs that Black Sabbath has ever played live.

text: The song is popular among beginner guitarists, but Blackmore himself has demonstrated that most who attempt to play it do so improperly.[12] Actually played using "all fourths" (or double stops) as specified by Blackmore, a power chord-driven variation on the main recognizable riff is not difficult, and is consequently often played by learners.

text: "Smoke on the Water" has received the following rankings:

text:
434 on Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2004)[4]
37 in VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs[13]
12 in Q magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks (March 2005)[6]
11 in VH1's "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" (January 2009)[14]
4 in Total Guitar magazine's "Top 20 Greatest Guitar Riffs Ever"[5]

tag: ol

text: Charts[edit]

text:
Chart (1973)
Peak
position

Australia (Kent Music Report)
54

Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15]
11

Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16]
27

Canadian RPM Top Singles[17]
2

Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18]
11

France (SNEP)[19]
64

Germany (Official German Charts)[20]
20

South African Chart[21]
7

US Billboard Hot 100[22]
4

Chart (1977)
Peak
position

UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[23]
21

Chart (2012)
Peak
position

France (SNEP)[24]
134

text: Certifications[edit]

text:
Region
Certification
Certified units/Sales

United States (RIAA)[25]
Gold
1,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

text: Alternative versions[edit]

text:
The 1997 Roger Glover Remix version which appears on the 25th Anniversary Edition reissue of Machine Head features a version of the song with an alternate Blackmore guitar solo recorded at the time, and includes Ian Gillan uttering the phrase "Break a leg, Frank", among other comments. This is a reference to injuries that Frank Zappa had sustained as a result of being attacked onstage by an audience member at a concert in London, six days after the Montreux fire. A broken leg was among those injuries.
The version that appears on Deep Purple in Concert also includes Gillan's "Break a leg" comment.

tag: ul

text: Credits and personnel[edit]

text:
Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
Ian Gillan – lead vocals
Roger Glover – bass guitar
Jon Lord – Hammond organ
Ian Paice – drums

text: Rock Aid Armenia version[edit]

text:
"Smoke on the Water"

Cover for the "Rock Aid Armenia" charity release

Single by Rock Aid Armenia

Released
1989

Format
7" 12"

Recorded
Week of 8 July 1989

Songwriter(s)
Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice

Producer(s)
Gary Langan and Geoff Downes

1990 reissue cover

Cover of the 7" reissue of the Rock Aid Armenia single

Music video

"Smoke on the Water" (Rock Aid Armenia) on YouTube

text: Rock Aid Armenia, a charity project to help victims of 1988 Armenian earthquake made a charity re-recording of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water", with different vocalists singing various verses. The single made it to the UK Top 40 Singles Chart.

text: The track was recorded by an elite group of contemporary prog rock, hard rock and heavy metal musicians who gathered at the historic Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, London. Recording began on 8 July 1989 and was completed over 5 different sessions.

text: The rock musicians involved in the recording included Bryan Adams, Ritchie Blackmore, Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Downes, Keith Emerson, Ian Gillan, David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Paul Rodgers, Chris Squire and Roger Taylor. John Paul Jones and Jon Lord were credited as "helping" behind the scenes with the track. The track's producers were Gary Langan and Geoff Downes. Talent co-ordination for the record was overseen by Jon Dee, with David Gilmour being the first to join up after a call from Dee. Ian Gillan's manager Phil Banfield also helped out with talent recruitment.

text: Notable performances and uses[edit]

text: In events[edit]

text:
Leicester Tigers use this song to run out to at the start of every home game.[citation needed]
In March 2011, "Smoke on the Water" was selected by departing German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg for performance as part of his official military farewell ceremony.[26]
On 16 September 2012, at the Sunflower Jam charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice performed the song alongside guitarist Brian May of Queen, bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, and vocalists Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper.[27]

text: In games[edit]

text: The iconic nature of the song has led to its inclusion in several music-related video games.

text:
It is a playable song in the Japan-only Nintendo DS rhythm game Daigasso! Band Brothers.
The song appears in Konami Guitar Freaks 4th Mix.
A cover version of "Smoke on the Water" is one of the playable songs for the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero.
The same cover version is a downloadable track in Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360.
It is featured in Guitar Hero Smash Hits as a master track.
It is available on Wii's Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 as a minigame, without Verse 3.
It is also featured in Rock Band 3 as a master track.
The song is available as a downloadable track for the guitar game Rocksmith.[citation needed]
It is a playable song in the PlayStation 2 game SingStar Rocks!.
The song is playable in the online game Stick Dudes Gone Wild: Rock Band.[citation needed]

text: In television[edit]

text:
The song features prominently in the Better Call Saul season 1 finale episode, "Marco" (airdate 6 April 2015). First, Marco hums it while waiting in the alley for Slippin' Jimmy and his mark. Next, Jimmy drums it on his steering wheel, when leaving the courthouse in Albuquerque, after standing up his interview for a partnership-track job. Finally, the song plays just before the closing credits.[28] In Better Call Saul season 2 episode 1, Jimmy bellowed the song intro after quiting office and refusing new job.
The song has featured in several episodes[which?] of The Sopranos, including "Join the Club".[29][30]
On CBS Two and a Half Men, Jake Harper plays this song a couple of times throughout the series.[when?]
It is featured episode 2 of season 6 in the show Supernatural.
The song features prominently in the Simpsons season 13 episode, "Weekend at Burnsie's."
Beavis and Butt-Head prominently features the titular characters vocalizing the guitar riff.
The song is featured in the Season 2 finale of Scream Queens.

text: In world records[edit]

text:
In 1994, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 1,322 guitarists gathered to play the world-famous riff all at the same time for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.[31]
On Sunday 3 June 2007, in Kansas City this record was topped with 1,721 guitarists.[31] Just 20 days later, in the German city of Leinfelden-Echterdingen by the group 'Party Blues In Bb' with over 1,800 other people involved.[32]
The record was again topped on 1 May 2009, in Wrocław, Poland, when 6,346 guitar players, joined by current Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse, performed the song during the Thanks Jimi Festival.[33][34]

text: Further reading[edit]

text:
Christe, Ian (2003). Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-380-81127-8.
"Smoke On The Water - the story". Deep-Purple.net.