Dogmeat's pathing in the game reflects this, as he will run forward then stop and look at players while they catch up. For instance, they noticed when taking River on walks that she would walk ahead of the group, but always look back to check on her human companion's progress. Fallout 4: Which of Dogmeat's Traits were Inspired by Riverīurgess also pointed out specific observations he and other team members made about River's behavior that were then integrated into Dogmeat's NPC design in Fallout 4. The team working on Dogmeat's design ' wanted a companion first, and a combat ally second.' Joel began bringing River into the office to bond with the people working on Dogmeat in the hopes that they in turn would design a dog companion in the video game that players would want to bond with. According to Joel's thread, he became concerned about the direction of Dogmeat's design when he saw reference images on a team member's desk that were all of German shepherds who were snarling or attacking.

Joel Burgess, a game designer and owner of River, took to Twitter recently to announce River's passing and share stories of her time at the Bethesda office. Related: Fallout 4 Mod Takes the Game to Iconic London Locations Dogmeat also appears to have a history in the Fallout 4 world before players find him, as detective Nick Valentine will remark that he has worked with Dogmeat in the past. Dogmeat can assist players in many ways, including alerting them to hidden loot or holding down enemies in combat. Dogmeat is found at an abandoned trucker stop, and will join players on their journey if they so choose.

To honor River, game designer Joel Burgess took to Twitter to share a behind the scenes look at how the German shepherd influenced Dogmeat's behavior in game.ĭogmeat is an NPC companion dog that can be found in all four main Fallout games. In Fallout 4, Dogmeat is one of the earliest NPCs companions players can recruit. Sad news broke in the gaming community recently that River, the real-life inspiration behind Fallout 4's NPC Dogmeat, has passed away.

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