Companion apps have something of a mixed reputation in the video game world. Some are buggy messes that rarely, if ever, receive updates (the WoW Armory app for World of Warcraft). Others are forced upon users by being arbitrarily required to unlock certain in-game items (Kenway’s Fleet for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the Assassin’s Creed Unity app). There are plenty of examples of the wrong way to make a companion app for a game, but this week Fallout 4 showed that a companion app can not only be good, it can actually be useful.

The app, which is called Fallout Pip-Boy, does pretty much what its name suggests: It replicates the interface of Fallout 4‘s retro wrist-mounted portable computer called the Pip-Boy.

Within the game, the Pip-Boy functions as the player’s menu system, with tabs for character stats, inventory, maps, and more. By connecting to your copy of Fallout 4 through your local network, the app allows you to access all of that information from your phone or tablet in real time, but it lets you do more than passively look at your game info. It also lets you control it.

From the Fallout Pip-Boy app you can change your weapons and armor, use healing or buff items, choose the radio station you want to listen to, and even activate fast travel using the world map.

These are all fun to use and can be handy if you want to perform some of these actions without having to pause the game, but the one really useful feature is the ability to look at the game’s local map in real time, making it work sort of like a minimap on your phone. Normally, the only way to look at the local map in-game is to pull up the menu to look at where you are. If you are trying to get to a specific location using the map, it can be frustrating to have to move a few feet, open the map, move a few more feet, open the map again, and so on. The companion app eliminates that headache

Of course, perhaps one of the best things about the Fallout Pip-Boy app is the fact that, while it can be useful, it is not required. If you do not want to use the app, you will not miss out on too much. Studios like Ubisoft Entertainment SA should probably be taking notes.

How to use it

The app is fairly simple to use. First, you will need to go into Fallout 4’s settings, and under the Gameplay tab, change the Pip-Boy App Enabled option to On. You may need to restart the game for the change to take effect.

After installing the app from the App Store or Google Play, it will ask you to choose the platform you are using to play the game (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or PC). The app will then scan your network for the game, and if everything worked out, it should connect to it automatically after that.

If it did not work, there are a few things you can try to fix it. For the app to connect to your game, the device playing Fallout 4 needs to be on the same network as your mobile device, either through Wi-Fi or a direct connection. Make sure that both your game system and your mobile device are connected to the same network.

When trying to connect the app on PC, you may be prompted by your firewall to allow Fallout 4 to access the internet. Simply allow it, and the app should be able to connect.

Image courtesy of Bethesda Softworks LLC
App screenshots by Eric David | SiliconANGLE