Fallout Fluff Forum - Plasma Guns, Power Armors, Mutants and Tribals, no it's not 40K

[factotum]

If you think those are bad examples of companion AI, wait until you find yourself standing in between your submachine-gun armed companion and the nearest enemy, and watch as he scores a critical hit in your back and blows you into chunks. (Yes, this happened to me in Fallout 2 with Sulik, I was not impressed). Having said that, this is off topic for this thread, isn't it? There's a Fallout discussion thread somewhere which is about the games, this one is supposed to be purely about the fluff and setting.

[Triaxx]

Giving Sulik an SMG is something most people only ever did once. :D A Super Sledge on the other hand...

[BladeofObliviom]

It's worth noting that giving Burst Weapons to AI companions in general is a really bad idea. Sulik is perfectly competent at using a .223 pistol, though.

Another fun "secret" is that Vic suddenly gets an Energy Weapons skill only a few points lower than his Small Guns after a few levels, meaning that he can effectively use a Pulse or Plasma pistol instead of a Gauss Pistol during the Endgame. This is really nice, because small energy cells are way easier to get in bulk than 2mm EC and he's the only Party member who's any good with weapons using SEC, whereas you probably want your limited supply of 2mm EC for Cassidy or yourself.

But, uh, fluff. Yeah.

[DigoDragon]

Here's some fluff- I'm playing the game for the first time and I wonder if the folks in Rivet City will have a plan on ever getting off that ship. It can't float forever and all that rust in the air has not been kind to their lungs. Maybe they're just doomed...

[Cikomyr]

Here's some fluff- I'm playing the game for the first time and I wonder if the folks in Rivet City will have a plan on ever getting off that ship. It can't float forever and all that rust in the air has not been kind to their lungs. Maybe they're just doomed...

Bunch of people refusing to acknowledge the long-term problems with their current short-term solution to a massive predicament?

Never seen that before.


No, they are probably not doomed. with the dawn of the Brotherhood's rule over the Capital Wasteland and the Purity project, it's possible the CW will become more... amicable, and thus it's possible the Rivetian move out eventually.

[Driderman]

Giving Sulik an SMG is something most people only ever did once. :D A Super Sledge on the other hand...

Super Sledge also got annoying but that was mostly because you had to wait around a lot while his victims where sliding all over the map.

... I think I need to go replay Fallout 2 soon. Maybe once I've completed Wasteland 2

[Triaxx]

Super Sledge is the best way to deal with Wanamingos/Aliens. But yeah, waiting is a pain.

As for fluff, how long is Little Lamplight viable?

[Cikomyr]

By the way. Did we ever got more insights into the Wananingo's origins? Were they truly alien? Or just mutants?

[Divayth Fyr]

By the way. Did we ever got more insights into the Wananingo's origins? Were they truly alien? Or just mutants?

Mutants. The following comes from the Fallout Bible:

Spoiler

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The wannamingos are a result of FEV virus experiments, but they are now becoming sterile. They are not aliens, but word is they were designed as FEV-tailored weapons for waging war on other countries... and they got loose. They do live a long time, but they were dying out at the time of Fallout 2. They have only been sighted in the F2 area and nowhere else in the wastelands.
The eggs you see in Fallout 2 are the last generation of Wannamingoes to exist in the wasteland; the young Wannamingoes seen in F2 will perish in five years, and their parents a few years before that - an internal genetic clock will simply stop ticking, and they'll fall over dead. The Wannamingoes are a vicious mutant breed that had their moment in the sun, and now their sun has set.

To put the tombstone on their extinction, the largest known nest of Wannamingoes were wiped out when the Great Wannamingo mine was reclaimed by Redding with the help of a traveling tribal. The mother was killed, and the last remaining eggs were hunted down, stepped on, and then the remains were examined by local scientists and doctors who came to the extinction conclusions mentioned above.

Again, Wannamingoes are not aliens – they are a curious mutant or genetically-designed fighting machine that has only been able to find a home in the cold, dark places of the wastes.

It is possible that the wannamingoes were old Enclave experiments (or even experiments from before the Great War), and if this is true, then it's likely their genetic/biological deadman's switch was purposely engineered to keep them from breeding past a certain generation.

As a final note, this is strictly a personal decision on my part. If you want them to live for fan fiction, pen-and-paper role-playing campaign purposes, or for your own peace of mind, feel free to have some of them survive the stopping of their genetic clock – in the Black Isle universe, however, the little buggers are already dead and their irradiated shells are scattered along the floor of abandoned mines throughout northern California where they make nice crunching noises when you step on them.

[Mando Knight]

Super Sledge is the best way to deal with Wanamingos/Aliens. But yeah, waiting is a pain.

According to the wiki, the best way to deal with them is to kill them with fire: only 2/10% resists instead of 6/40%.

As for fluff, how long is Little Lamplight viable?

It shouldn't have lasted 10 years, let alone 200. Is it repopulated by Big Town inhabitants dropping their kids off at the caverns, or by young teens (under 16) giving birth before being separated from their children because they get too old?

[tyckspoon]

Giving Sulik an SMG is something most people only ever did once. :D A Super Sledge on the other hand...

Sulik with an SMG is perfectly safe if the rest of your party is long range focused, because he likes to sprint up to enemy and unloac point blank bursts. Well. Safe for you. It takes a bit of care to keep him from getting killed doing that, and Vic likes to shoot him in the back. Giving Vic a burst weapon is bad, Cassidy's not much better (which is a shame, since shotguns are generally their best weapon choice), and Marcus's minigun needs to be gently but firmly taken away at the first opportunity.

[Triaxx]

I meant because the Wanamingos only have melee attacks, giving them a good smack with the Super Sledge to send them skidding away is a good way to keep them from injuring you. Then they have to expend everything running up to you, rather than actually hitting you. Don't recall ever trying fire though.

I never noticed a problem with the others since I prefer to be a sniper, but Sulik is a character I take when I'm a melee character, because two melee guys are better than one. Everyone else gets to stand in front of me while I shoot.

[DigoDragon]

It shouldn't have lasted 10 years, let alone 200. Is it repopulated by Big Town inhabitants dropping their kids off at the caverns, or by young teens (under 16) giving birth before being separated from their children because they get too old?

I was thinking the latter, in a Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome kind of way.

[GungHo]

Sulik with an SMG is perfectly safe if the rest of your party is long range focused, because he likes to sprint up to enemy and unloac point blank bursts. Well. Safe for you. It takes a bit of care to keep him from getting killed doing that, and Vic likes to shoot him in the back. Giving Vic a burst weapon is bad, Cassidy's not much better (which is a shame, since shotguns are generally their best weapon choice), and Marcus's minigun needs to be gently but firmly taken away at the first opportunity.

I always gave Marcus a super sledge or plasma gun and Sulik either a sledge, a ripper, or one of the higher end SMGs. Vic and Cassidy always get single-shot rifles. I would typically be the sniper, either with a sniper rifle or a sniper pistol (That Gun) for VATS eye and ball shooting. I sometimes tried to give myself a burst weapon or shotgun, but I'd end up having to walk around everything to make sure I took Marcus/Sulik out of the cone of fire, and it honestly became tiring. Shotguns and shotgun shells essentially became an alternate currency, as I never used them unless it was early on and I had few followers. If I was able to stat everyone the way I wanted, I'd probably have made everyone a melee guy, because honestly the game knows how to handle that and it ends up being like you're a quarterback and they're the OL.

[Cikomyr]

Would you mind not talking about this here? It is the only fluff thread we have.

I was wondering something. Is it established that the Chosen One was a direct descendant of the Vault Dweller? Or just another random member of the tribe the VD joined in his exile?

[factotum]

Wiki says the Chosen One was the Vault Dweller's grandson, but it doesn't give any references as to where that factoid came from, so your guess is as good as mine as to its reliability.

[shadow_archmagi]

Would you mind not talking about this here? It is the only fluff thread we have.

I was wondering something. Is it established that the Chosen One was a direct descendant of the Vault Dweller? Or just another random member of the tribe the VD joined in his exile?

Eh, it's not like the thread sees enough activity anyway. At least if they discuss game mechanics, it might segway back into fluff rather than the thread dying.

It shouldn't have lasted 10 years, let alone 200. Is it repopulated by Big Town inhabitants dropping their kids off at the caverns, or by young teens (under 16) giving birth before being separated from their children because they get too old?

I think you've got it. They hit puberty, do what comes naturally, and then get driven out for being big. Not super realistic, but, eh.

[Grim Portent]

Wasn't Fallout 3 supposed to be set only a few decades after the war originally?

I remember being told that stuff like Little Lamplight were leftovers that they had to use due to time constraints when they were made to change the time period.

[Gaelbert]

Would you mind not talking about this here? It is the only fluff thread we have.

I was wondering something. Is it established that the Chosen One was a direct descendant of the Vault Dweller? Or just another random member of the tribe the VD joined in his exile?

It's also the only Fallout thread we have, as the last one has been dead for a while. I think there's room enough in this thread for both.

[TechnOkami]

Ooh neat, a Fallout Fluff Thread.

So, I've only played New Vegas, but I'm really itching to give Fallout 3 a spin. I've also pretty much stopped playing New Vegas mostly because I don't really like any of the factions, and don't want to be forced to support one of them.

I like the Creature From the Black Lagoon-esque monsters in the river. Design wise they're pretty neat.

I like the idea of being a Super Mutant, but after running around with the mod, I found it difficult to navigate as (since the game is designed to be played around as a human sized person). I'm not sure if they could incorporate that without making it feel too much like a MMO.

Also, I can't hit the broad side of a barn with a gun outside of Vats, so I play Fallout-Melee style. It's really painful without Power Armor however, but eating copious amounts of food to regain all that health basically turns you into Dr. Mundo anyways (League of Legends), so it's not that bad.

I like the idea of the next Fallout game taking place in either Alaska, or Detroit of all the places. I like the idea of running around an Industrial Mecca for the majority of the game intriguing.

[GolemsVoice]

You know there is an ending where you can basically scre over everyone, as far as I know? I've never played that ending, but I think there is a way.

[Mando Knight]

You know there is an ending where you can basically scre over everyone, as far as I know? I've never played that ending, but I think there is a way.

It's the Independent ending. Factions you like get about as happy an ending for them as possible (reconciling Followers with NCR is arguably the former's best ending, even though they think they would prefer an independent Vegas, whether it's under you or House), and factions you don't like lose.

[Triaxx]

You'll enjoy F3 and The Pitt in particular. The DC ruins feel a lot bigger because of the disconnection, but at the same time, the open world feels much more open. On the other hand, the gameplay is really smoothed out in NV.

F3 is still solid and fun, but I can't play it as easily now since I'm so used to the improvements in NV.

As for the Chosen One, it's because the Arroyo Elder is the daughter of the Vault Dweller and the Elder is the Chosen One's mother.

[factotum]

As for the Chosen One, it's because the Arroyo Elder is the daughter of the Vault Dweller and the Elder is the Chosen One's mother.

Is that ever explicitly stated anywhere, though? I certainly don't remember the Arroyo Elder talking to the Chosen One as if he were her son--her entire response to your questioning why you were put through the Temple of Trials was more or less, "You survived, so everything's OK", as if the alternative wouldn't have been all that bad...

(Also, given the Chosen One is canonically 20 years old at the beginning of Fallout 2, the Elder must have already been pretty old when she gave birth to him).

[Triaxx]

According to the official timeline, it's pure fluff listed as part of Fallout Bible 0 as compiled by Chris Avellone himself. As far as I can tell, the wiki just doesn't make a citation when referring to the timeline except when listing a source on the timeline.

[BladeofObliviom]

The Chosen One can refer to the Vault Dweller as his/her ancestor several times, including when speaking to Leanne in The Den and President Tandi in Shady Sands. The incarnation of Tandi in the Cafe of Broken Dreams, while a non-canon Easter Egg, also directly refers to the Vault Dweller your Grandfather.

I might be forgetting something glaringly obvious and more concrete, but there's enough evidence to safely presume that the Vault-Dweller-is-Grandfather claim was intended by the developers ingame and not something Chris Avellone made up for the Fallout Bible.

[Triaxx]

I meant the Elder being the mother, rather than descent from the Dweller. It's beeen a whie, but I don't recall any in game mention of that.

[Driderman]

Concerning the Vaultdweller being the Chosen One's grandparent, I always had the impression that it was intentionally vague since the age range was rather large. We could be talking great-grandparent instead.
As for the village Elder being the Chosen One's mother, I don't remember any evidence to support that at all. None against, either, other than no dialogue at all in Arroyo referencing it.

[GloatingSwine]

You know there is an ending where you can basically scre over everyone, as far as I know? I've never played that ending, but I think there is a way.

If you want to screw over everyone, then Independent with bad karma, though you'll probably want to personally screw over many of the other settlements specifically.

More specifically, if you want to make the Mojave as screwed as possible without being as direct as "kill everyone" (there are specific endings for towns if you kill everyone in them):

Spoiler

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Independent, Bad Karma, don't upgrade Securitrons (anarchy in the streets)
Free Raul but don't complete Crazy, Crazy, Crazy (mad super mutants attacking caravans)
Leave the Fiend leaders alive. (Fiends control outer vegas)
Side with the Powder Gangers and complete Run Goodsprings, Run (Goodsprings deserted).
Don't convince Papa Khan to break his alliance with Caesar (the Great Khans fade into the background of banditry in the region)
Do not complete Guess Who I Saw Today or do so by failing both the speech and science checks (even more crazy super mutant raiders)
Incite full scale war between NCR and the Kings (Travellers from the NCR find no welcome in New Vegas)
Complete Flags of our Foulups by convincing the Misfits to use Psycho (they turn into raiders and are shot by the NCR)
Complete Come Fly With Me by sabotaging the rockets or do not complete it at all. (Either make Novac radioactive or allow feral ghouls to ravage it after the Legion attacks)
Don't kill the Powder Gang leader Eddie (more raiders)
Convince Meyers to become Primm's sherriff (he occasionally murders people who annoy him)
Expose Hanlon, allow him to commit suicide (NCR rangers in disgrace)

There are also two ways to screw everyone in the DLC. Either target both factions with nukes in Lonesome Road or side with Elijah in Dead Money and scour the west with the red cloud. (there was going to be another in Old World Blues as well, where you released the Think Tank into the world to do Science! to it.

[Cikomyr]

If you want to screw over everyone, then Independent with bad karma, though you'll probably want to personally screw over many of the other settlements specifically.

More specifically, if you want to make the Mojave as screwed as possible without being as direct as "kill everyone" (there are specific endings for towns if you kill everyone in them):

Spoiler

Show

Independent, Bad Karma, don't upgrade Securitrons (anarchy in the streets)
Free Raul but don't complete Crazy, Crazy, Crazy (mad super mutants attacking caravans)
Leave the Fiend leaders alive. (Fiends control outer vegas)
Side with the Powder Gangers and complete Run Goodsprings, Run (Goodsprings deserted).
Don't convince Papa Khan to break his alliance with Caesar (the Great Khans fade into the background of banditry in the region)
Do not complete Guess Who I Saw Today or do so by failing both the speech and science checks (even more crazy super mutant raiders)
Incite full scale war between NCR and the Kings (Travellers from the NCR find no welcome in New Vegas)
Complete Flags of our Foulups by convincing the Misfits to use Psycho (they turn into raiders and are shot by the NCR)
Complete Come Fly With Me by sabotaging the rockets or do not complete it at all. (Either make Novac radioactive or allow feral ghouls to ravage it after the Legion attacks)
Don't kill the Powder Gang leader Eddie (more raiders)
Convince Meyers to become Primm's sherriff (he occasionally murders people who annoy him)
Expose Hanlon, allow him to commit suicide (NCR rangers in disgrace)

There are also two ways to screw everyone in the DLC. Either target both factions with nukes in Lonesome Road or side with Elijah in Dead Money and scour the west with the red cloud. (there was going to be another in Old World Blues as well, where you released the Think Tank into the world to do Science! to it.

I think the point he made was that there was no sympathetic or worthy factions to ally oneself with.

I doubt he wanted to just throw the entire Mojave into a massive cluster**** of chaos and rampage.