Quote Originally Posted by Spore View Post
A major problem imho is the quite obvious choice that the writers made when they wrote the deserters vs. spacer's choice conflict.

In a direct comparison to New Vegas and the conflict between the Legion (evil slavers who have a point because technology doomed the planet to an apocalypse) and NRC (goody twoshoes guys who are actually more totalitarian than they'd admit), the conflict as written just falls flat. Sure, Emerald Vale has its fair share of company driven problems, but there are upsides to being securely equipped by an offworld trading corporation. It's just these qualities are hidden in speech checks and not immediately obvious. Similarily the deserters are not perfectly good. Their leader just wants revenge and uses it on the backs of the people but immediately obvious is just "deserters good, company evil".

I don't even know Balmas' (spoilered) factoids yet but it feels like the narrator made the choice for you. And this in a game where player choice should matter is incredibly irritating to me. Compare it to another guided choice in a game made by a company who Obsidian threw incredible shade on. Skyrim's civil war. Or more specific the first choice of going with the rebel or the Imperial. It seems obvious to go with the guy that rebels against the system that wanted you killed for crossing the border. But through subtle hints it is shown that maybe imperial power is better for Skyrim than an uprising against the oppressors because it equips the empire better to resist the Thalmor. It is a similar situation but see that the narrator does not "guide" your choice more than through the prologue.
I would very firmly disagree.

The Legion are the Obviously Irredeemable Evil faction in New Vegas. Some people try to point out that it is relatively peaceful in Legion territory because breaking the law means getting literally crucified, but the game very heavily-handedly tells you 'if you even think of grouping with these psychos, you're wrong', even as it says 'but it is okay to be wrong if you want'. Just look at the number of Legion specific quests vs the number of NCR specific quests, the totals alone should tell you which the devs expected you to take. From your very first personal experience in Nipton on forward, there is NOTHING redeemable about the Legion. Period.

The NCR, meanwhile, are also aggressively expanding into the area, but at least claim to have already had a toehold in the region. Yes, they aren't exactly the model of representation, and they do a lot of shady ****. So there's a big open question about how much better off the Mojave would actually BE under NCR control, because at the moment... they ain't doing so good a job. They claim to be helping the area, but you never actually see where that is the case. About their strongest argument is 'we are better than the Legion'.

Spacer's Choice isn't that bad. It's bad, sure, but it is also the one who funded this whole thing. And, more importantly, it is the current Status Quo. Legion are the invaders, they are literally conquering their way across the western US, at least as far east as Denver. So in this perspective, Spacer's Choice is far more like the NCR than the Legion. They are already here, have already been established. I would like to say that Edgewater is probably what the Mojave would've been after a few decades of NCR occupation... with an ever shrinking population, little pockets of habitation going vacant and eventually claimed by Raiders/Marauders, and disease and starvation everywhere.

The Deserters, on the other hand, aren't really a whole lot better. I mean, sure, the leader understands the basic concepts of fertilization and crop rotation to actually grow enough food of enough different sorts to prevent malnutrition. However... she's not all roses and sunshine either. Remember what the key ingredient in her fertilizer is? What happens when they start running low... and how easy it would be to make the sliding moral choice of 'the needs of the group over the needs of the one'. Furthermore, and I'd really like to drive this home because people seem to be dismissing it... they signed a contract, on Earth, before they ever set foot here. In exchange for transportation out to the colonies, they agreed to what is effectively an indentured servitude contract. Okay, it may be a bum deal, but nobody forced them to sign that contract, they did it of their own free will. Are you really going to give them a free pass on that just because 'lol evil corporation'? Also, there's absolutely no evidence that her results will be able to be duplicated on the macro scale. Her projected figures were based on a very small group of isolated individuals who were residing at a botanical center. Sure, she can keep her own people going, but that's about it, and that's not a whole lot of people.

Spoiler: no really, major end-game plot spoilers
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And really, that was just the Corporate's plan anyway, drop the population down to something that can live on their existing resources. So in the end, she's no better off than them, except she's not going to try to Cryo-sleep everyone, she's just going to let the Corporation kill everyone off from starvation.


So no... this isn't an NCR/Legion situation. It's more of an NCR/Followers of the Apocalypse situation. And in the Independent ending, the Followers weren't able to keep up with demand. And I doubt the Deserters would either.

Obviously, the Corporation is the mustache-twirling evil of the piece. But there's a lot more nuance to it once you start digging in. And hey, that's a good thing in my opinion. I don't want lore and background casually jammed in my face like a telemarketer's call. I want to be part detective and actually dig into the situation, and find out the real deal going on. I find that to be orders of magnitude more immersive and realistic than anything New Vegas managed.

The situation here is far more questionable a choice than in the Mojave. In the Mojave, literally any choice is better than Legion. Just check the stats on how many people actually have the achievement for the Legion ending. But here, you have a much more balanced choice of 'lousy' vs 'lousy'. The Deserters are more into personal freedom... at least for now. The Corporation is willing to let the whole place collapse for the sake of their bottom line, but honestly the Deserters care only about themselves. Anyone who follows the Corporate line? Screw 'em. Plenty of Deserters left friends and family to go join up. So they aren't any less greedy or selfish, they're just doing it on a smaller scale.

That's my take on it, at least. Sure, the Corporation is bad, but think for a moment... are the Deserters really any better? Really? I mean, yea, they're 'stickin' it to the MAN', but is their long-term goals any more viable? Oh wait, they don't even HAVE any long-term plans beyond 'don't starve this week'. Yea, that's gonna turn out just great for the colony, isn't it? But hey, for some people, 'tis better to rule in hell than serve in... well, let's be honest here... also hell. Which makes it a relatively balanced choice and a much more interesting decision.