We haven't quite worked through our electronic-distribution. John Carmack [id co-founder] made a comment about the media size, which unfortunately wasn't exactly correct because we haven't crossed that bridge yet. He said it was going to be too large to download, and I was thinking to myself, "You know, uhhhhh, people can do lots of things." So I want to correct that and say that....

You play a survivor from the past; one of many people placed inside a "cryo-ark" buried safely beneath the surface. The plan was that when it was safe to return to the surface, after the impact winter and the dust settled, your ark would emerge, and you would then work with the other ark inhabitants to rebuild society. But that plan went haywire. More people survived the impact than anyone predicted, and those survivors rebuilt society on their own without a government, without laws or rules. When your ark emerges and you begin the game, you discover a world that is much different than what you expected -- much harsher, much more dangerous. There are a number of different factions that are vying for control in the wasteland. There are settlers, mutants, and different clans of bandits, all fighting to survive and for control.

As the game begins, the first thing you need to do in this world is learn to survive on your own. Then you must work with the settlers against the bandits and mutants. Ultimately, you will align yourself with a small resistance group fighting against a mysterious force in the wasteland called the "Authority" -- a regime-like government bent on controlling everything.