Fallout 4 Companion Application

Just recently, on November 10th, a new game from Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout 4, was released. Along with the game, an app was released on the Apple App Store, and Google's Play Store called Fallout Pip-Boy. In the game, a Pip-Boy is a computer that is on the wrist of your character. You access your inventory, quests, map location, and other resources through the interface of the pip-boy. What's cool about the app is that it allows you to view this interface on another device, such as a phone and tablet, while playing the game. This works over your network that is hosted by your router. The router assigns every device on the network, like a computer or a phone, an address, which is commonly referred to as an IP address. Any device in the home network that makes a request for some data off on another server, will have to go through the router. When the reply of data comes back, the router is able to send that data to the correct device because of it's assigned IP address. The device and computer send requests and data through the router to each other and that's how you have a constant updated pip-boy on your phone. Able to view and interact with your inventory, able to view and follow your current location on the map, and everything else the pip-boy interface can do in game, in real time. 

When I first heard about the app, I had a suspicion that this was just a way to view your inventory, and you wouldn't be able to interact with it. After trying it, I was surprised at how fast the game reacts to you action on your phone or tablet. It only took a few minutes of finding the setting, and now I'm able to launch the game on my computer, launch the app, and start playing.

When Fallout 4 was announced, there was also an announcement for a Pip-boy addition to the game. This special package had a copy of the game, a replica Pip-boy, and a few other posters and booklets. What's special about this replica is that your are able to wear it on you wrist, just like your character in game, and you're able to place your phone into the pip-boy where it's screen would be, and it would just be like the pip-boy in game. This special addition of the game quickly sold out after it was announced, as the higher price didn't deter the many fans of the Fallout series to have their own functional pip-boy. This was the main reason for development of the pip-boy companion app.

Links:
Fallout Companion App:
Play Store
App Store

Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Addition