River, the dog best known as Fallout 4's Dogmeat, has died
Developer Joel Burgess paid tribute to the loyal companion in a Twitter thread.
River, the dog which served as both model and inspiration for Fallout 4's Dogmeat, has died. Developer Joel Burgess, who was River's owner, announced the death on Twitter and went over River's impact on Fallout 4's development as a constant presence for the development team to understand a dog companion. River was also filmed, recorded, and had her behavior watched as a reference for Dogmeat.
I said goodbye today to River, who most of you know as Fallout 4’s Dogmeat.Heartbroken doesn't cover it, but I won’t eulogize her here. For twitter, I thought it'd be appropriate to look back at her impact on that game.(plus, writing about game dev hurts less than grieving) pic.twitter.com/ayN1Vd6oqQJune 27, 2021
In that Twitter thread, Burgess goes deep into detail about how River influenced his desire to have a dog companion in Fallout 4 be more than a weapon, but a true friend to the player. Bringing the personality of a loving, protective, outgoing dog to Fallout 4 was one of Burgess' design goals for the character, and so River's looks, movements, but most importantly personality were reflected in the in-game character. Dogmeat's propensity to bring you large objects, even ones you didn't want, was based on River.
"River really loved making people happy... sometimes by bringing us large objects. Her intentions were pure, but her judgement wasn't always perfect," said Burgess, accompanied by a picture of River carrying a large log.
Likewise, a walk with animator Jean Simonet inspired Dogmeat's behavior: River would often walk ahead of Burgess, but consistently stop to look back and check on him.
River's behavior in the game is also based on the behavior of German Shephards, protective dogs who will put themselves between the thing they want to protect and danger. Dogmeat does just that. "This didn't just give Dogmeat a distinctive combat style from other companion NPCs; it was a character choice," Burgess said.
Dogmeat is a tether. He grounds you in the world, will always stand by you, lead you to your family, and anticipate your needs. He wants you to be safe and happy.In other words, he loves you. And if love is River's legacy, I am contented.Rest in peace, big girl. pic.twitter.com/XiUszPtOnMJune 27, 2021
It's never easy to lose a friend, especially when that friend is a constant companion like a dog. Our hearts go out to Joel Burgess, and everyone who knew River. Raise a glass to River's memory today. As Dogmeat, at least, she can keep bringing people joy (and large sticks) for years to come.
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Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.