Outlands

"I hope you're a good shot. There's an increase in snowbreed activity beyond that door."

### Purpose

Abandoned Saferoom

The **Outlands** is a map in *After the Fall* which serves as the game's introduction and tutorial. Players starting the game for the first time will be given an introduction through example of the game's core mechanics, as well as setting up and calibrating the game's inventory and reload systems to suit the player's preferences.

Since v1.2.35043, a floppy disk was added to the armory to allow players to replay the introduction on demand. Replaying the Outlands does not affect your loadout or Harvest amount in any way.

## Description

The area is an abandoned safe room out in the LA ruins, presumably in the area of Huntington Park. The safe room was set up in a destroyed metro tunnel and was well lived in before it was abandoned. In it is a Harvest-O-Matic, a ham radio, a television with a VCR, a bed with a sleeping bag, and a target range with a plentiful ammo supply. The safe room door follows the tracks of the destroyed tunnel, which is open to the aboveground surroundings. It is presumed that the safe room was abandoned due to overwhelming numbers of snowbreed.

## Gameplay

Offscreen, the player enters the safe room by way of a maintenance passage connecting to the metro tunnel, and gets the power hooked up and running again. The powered radio signal is picked up by Frank, who attempts to make contact with the player and direct them to get armed for their safety against the snowbreed in the area.

The game sets quest markers on points of interest. They must first pick up the marked floppy disk and insert it into the floppy drive of the arcade cabinet beside it. The machine will dispense a Service Pistol and direct the player to the target range to learn how to open ammo boxes, and how to load and fire the gun. After trying it out, the machine will then give them the options of using either simple or advanced reload modes, and either holsters to hold weapons or the inventory wheel.

Once all of the calibration is complete, the player will hear gunfire from outside and calls for help as Frank tells them that a runner named Johnny is also in the area. Shoot the highlit weak point on the sprawl tentacle to make it retreat, then press the red button to open the door. Unfortunately, by the time the door is open, Johnny falls silent, and Frank asks the player to investigate.

The player hops down and finds Johnny frozen completely solid with a Service Pistol in his hand. If they take it, Johnny's remains fall apart. A lone husk stands before them, and when the player engages this husk, more come from all directions. No matter how many husks the players takes out, they will eventually be cornered and grabbed by an approaching juggernaut, and the player sees the game's title card as a discretion shot right before the juggernaut freezes them.

As the juggernaut walks away, a snowcat comes barreling out of a tunnel to the left, flattening him and the other husks in the way. The door opens to reveal Frank, who blows away a straggling husk with a Pump Shotgun before hopping down and injecting the player with a juice booster. Frank urges them into the snowcat, and when the player approaches the open door, the playable part of the level ends.

## Trivia

* There is a VHS casette on top of the TV immediately to the right of where the player spawns. Inserting the tape into the VCR next to it will show the player a video explaining how the world got into the state it's in.
* The pause menu reveals the map's proper name, and that in terms of gameplay this is a Harvest Run on Survivor difficulty.
* The Juggernaut is invincible and cannot be staggered. You must be caught by it to proceed.
* During the ending scene, Frank says that they found the player in "Huntington." It's assumed he is referring to Huntington Park, a small city to the southeast of Los Angeles proper which has the metro's Blue Line right next to it.