darkus37

Great Khans Yeah, I can see Bitter Springs becoming a Follower camp even if the NCR stay - taking care of refugees takes a lot of money and I doubt the NCR would waste the resources as they would have been even more thinly stretched after the battle at the dam. The Great Khans endings have them leave the Mojave completely: either enslaved by the legion, relocated by the NCR, or leaving to forge their own destiny. Bitter Springs is already an important memorial for the Khans, but I don't see them sticking around or going on pilgrimages there. They are less a religious group, and more a lifestyle choice. As for medical supplies, the best thing I can come up with is that when the Khans are leaving, they donate their equipment to the Followers - but I have no idea what practical effect there could be for the overall game. Legion Territory Vault Scenario A: I don't think it matters whether the Legion troop are deserters or not in the short term- they are an armed group who would kill and enslave the tribal dwellers; that's why I added the concealed cave entrance as it limits accidental discovery, but an organized search will find them eventually. In the long term, if the legion troop is made up of deserters, then the Courier can just kill them all and then hope more deserters or raiders don't show up later. If they are still part of the Legion, then a missing group of Legionnaires will be noticed and an investigation will begin - this scenario makes more sense as it puts the dwellers under constant pressure. If the cave is blown while the Legion is near, they will no doubt wonder what the hell that was and eventually, an entrance can be excavated. Scenario B: I picked an either/or scenario because otherwise it's too much like Vault 0 and the Calculator in Fallout: Tactics. While Fallout: Tactics doesn't appear to be completely canon anymore, nonetheless, it's already been done. As for some important pre-war resource, let's take BigMT - once the main quest line is done, there is nothing to do there despite the incredible treasure trove of high-tech toys laying around; this will just become another place that the player never visits. Cesar and Yes Man I had this thought about Cesar and the Fort - Cesar knew about there being a vault underneath his base, and he had plenty of time to dig his way in. Perhaps that can be used somehow? For example, Cesar was a Follower and therefore had technical training - perhaps he programmed a virus that infected the Securitrons and Yes Man?

My best thought on a more unique spin is that of replicant attacks taking place - androids that look like important people, assassinating and replacing the originals; and the Courier being the next target. It allows a terminator-like enemy - but it has no real link to the Legion.

Yeah, like I said way before - Vault-Tec vaults are just secure shelters built in a certain design style. Plenty of other groups had them to varying degrees of success: Raven Rock, the Sierra Madre Vault, Pulowski Shelters, even a regular bank vault all served the same purpose of keeping its contents safe and secure. What design choice i.e. enclave/vault-tec style is chosen is not the issue - my uncertainty is more about the similarity to OWB rather than anything else.

Well, if this will take place in Zion Valley, I don't really want to rehash the Sorrows (although this would have been soooooooo much better than Honest Hearts). That said, I had an idea kicking around; where a vault-like military base decided to put all their people in experimental cryo-sleep while the WWIII raged outside. Unlike the Vault 112's VR Pods, the cryo-sleep pods completely stopped instead of slowing the aging process down, while leaving the brain active thanks to cybernetic implants. Cryogenic freezing can cause organic damage, so the people in the pods were immersed in bio med gel. The idea was to have the people in the pods controlling robots while frozen. This is where the storyline can diverge: Option A: Innocents The experiment might have been a success, except that there was an explosion in the controller machinery and it severely damaged the brains of the people in the pods. The medi-gel eventually healed the damage, but when the pods automatically released the people, they were nothing more than infants. Enough memories remained for them to eventually regain some semblance of movement and speech, but no where close to what they were before. As generations passed, some semblance of civilization began to return, although the more advanced scientific knowledge that require reading and writing never fully returned. They were remarkable non-violent and kind - not having to fight for food or shelter apparently tempering the more violent impulses. Unfortunately, Whatever secrets contained within the base are long forgotten, with the automated machinery keeping the base active slowly breaking down. Eventually, the tribal society within learned about controlling the gear door and the outer surveillance system - views of the lush plant life tempted those within the base to ventured out beyond the vault walls, only to be scared back by the missing ceiling and the dangers inherent in the new world. Hiding once again in their hidden complex, they remained there until they one day, a Legion group passed by. In excitement of seeing people like them, the tribals sent a group to meet them - the men were killed and the women enslaved. Despite the torture the tribals experienced, the legion was unable to find out if there were more tribals due to the language barrier and their home remained hidden. The brutality the Legion members exhibited forced the tribals to seal their gate once more and anxiously hope that their home would not be accidentally discovered. Despite the apparent lack of other tribals, the Legion smell prey nearby and begin to search. Into this situation comes the Courier. Most quests will involve fighting with the Legion and restoring the base. Similar to E-DE's upgardes, you can eventually get the Followers or BOS involved to take over daily operations. The long term effects will be dependent on your actions, for example, getting the BOS involved will give the BOS prime-quality genetic stock to train to become soldiers and have a large and dangerous base to control. Option B: Masquerade I'm a little uncertain about this version, mostly due to it's similarity to Old World Blues. I had an idea for another mod, about a secret group of powerful and influential figures (Illuminati-like group called the Cabal) who build a hidden vault for themselves and like Mr. House, kept themselves alive in special pods. They tried to take over the world but were thwarted by the low level of technology and dependable help. The one place that they could sense was New Vegas, but Mr. House was able to stop them from taking over, but now that he's gone, they are a serious threat once again. I would use this idea if you want to tie it in to the main storyline and need an end boss or something.

@Devilman1975 - nothing to be sorry for, we just had a difference of opinion. Quarries: I think they should be independent. By making them separate from the NCR, the miners have more control and thus are happier overall. As it was, the guys at Sloan got seriously screwed over by slave labor and lack of security. Heck, depending on how far you want to take it, you can make your own mining guild. Boulder City: sure, I can see New Vegas taking priority, but even so, there should be more people there - tourists and such. I had a weird idea of battle-reenactors showing up, but that's pretty far out there. Since Hoover Dam is securitron territory, and thus borderline neutral; Boulder City could become the new Mojave Outpost - a rest stop between the Legion territory and the rest of the Mojave. Vault City: exactly what I was talking about - I'm glad I finally explained myself. Nipton: sounds good to me. Legion Vault: if I may - this might be better as a stand-alone mod, perhaps taking place at Zion Valley. It can of course be part of the mod, there's no reason why not, but it just seems like a missed opportunity to me to stand on its own legs. That said, how about the vault was built like the base in Stargate-SG1 - basically a hollowed out mountain - and it controls a military laser satellite up-link, whose effect is similar to Archimedes II.

Hey someguy2000, since you're considering some ideas, I have a couple for you to check out: 1) I would really, really like a new bounty hunter headquarters - the shack is good as a starting base, but as the bounties grow in difficulty and the player status grows, so should the bounty hunter organization. What I would like is for the headquarters to move to a Searchlight Police station-like building (but could be something else too), and to also be located in Boulder. I even have a plausible explanation for it to take place: at some point (I would place this at approximately mid-to-late mod) the bounty hunter headquarters gets a prisoner escorted by another bounty hunter (perhaps Russell?). This prisoner is a major raider and his gang wants him back. What follows is an "Assault on Precinct 13" like-scenario where the defenders barely manage to hold off the group before NCR troops arrive to help. Larry Scull decides to move to a nearby ruined building (the police station) and as the mod progresses, more and more is cleaned up and several new NPC's arrive (a vendor, armorer, guards/snipers, etc.). This of course doesn't have to take place at the point I mention - it could be a post-current endgame or even be a part of Bounties III, but I chose this period of time so that a note can be found on the assault leader which has directions to Valle de Hierro, which is investigated by Ramsey leading to his conclusion. 2) it would be nice to have a new, naive Bounty Hunter show up; someone who heard of the Legendary Courier and wants to follow in their footsteps. This character would never be a direct companion, mostly dialog based choices taking place after certain quests that would shape the new guy/girl. Be helpful, the guy/girl could become a legend in their own right. Be antagonistic, the character develops a bad reputation and is only different from the raiders they hunt thanks to the license they purchased. Be indifferent or deliberately unhelpful, and get the character killed. 3) I would also like to request for all the available bounties to be found in one area; whether that be in one building or one group of outside boards. The one's found throughout the game world can be left where they are, but it would make a lot of sense for them to be at the headquarters as well, so those dropping off a target can pick up a new one. 4) I didn't know about the articles until I first met Doc Friday (missed them or they didn't appear), so I wasn't able to speak to the reporter and straighten things out till late in the mod. My next play-through I nipped it in the bud, but only the negative articles appeared, none of the positive. It would be nice to have Joaquin comment on them, or at least be reading them, so that they can be found at the headquarters.

Quarry: I agree - the quarry should be reopened, along with several others - for example, a new one quarry near Vault 19 for mining sulfur; showing that indeed - time marches on. Boulder City: Well, Boulder City and Nipton are both ripe for "rebulding" quests as both are destroyed and near train tracks, but I don't know how involved we should get with that. Boulder City is important due to its proximity to Hoover Dam - a perfect place for a military installation. I had the thought of turning Nipton into Fort Abandon, but that would be more NCR related. Any mods in the Boulder City area can be moved to the outskirts - the main problem would be to make patches for all the mods affected. Lanius: I guess you're right, but I'm pretty sure that if nothing else, once Cesar learned of his tumor, his successor would definitely be a concern. I also believe that my scenario is possible specifically because Graham failed - he was a symbol, and by failing, he tarnished the pride of Cesar and the Legion - having a rotating Lanius assured no failure could occur; and dissimilarities could be explained away as long as the current Lanius used the mask. Yes, there can be another general who has nothing to do with this, but then why not just support him rather than the turncoat? I guess it can just be a black-and-white scenario, but I think this adds some gray to the picture. As for Cesar having a double, yeah I guess it would make sense, but that would just cloud the issue and raise the question: "why didn't he travel to the Mojave to take the reigns of the Legion after his double died/was killed?" and it would really boost the Legion's power overall, leaving them a major threat. Vaults: again, sorry, I think I haven't been clear - I'm not saying there shouldn't be new inhabitants; in fact it would be very nice to have the vaults used by good people doing good things. What I am saying, is that minus some clutter cleanup, I don't think there should be a switch from the rusted vault set to the standard vault set - the mod presented as an example did exactly that and that's what I was disagreeing with. That's all.

Camp Golf would definitely be a major plot area as it controls the water flow to the farms. My main problem is that we are assuming an independent army will be as strong as the NCR - even under the best of circumstances the newly formed miltia would be undisciplined and bad at being soldiers - sort of like the squad at Camp Golf. It would take time and money to mold them into a credible alternative to the NCR and I don't think a month is long enough. Well, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't leave enemy/unfriendly forces in my metaphorical backyard - especially the Special Forces units of the NCR. I'm sure we can ask someguy2000 for a patch that disables them afterwards. I agree - there should be a build up of forces, with perhaps even missions to clear out raiders that took over the areas the NCR left once your forces reach a certain level. Would need an area for a boot camp though...probably Camp Golf would be best. Plus some areas could be NCR deserters who are Independent New Vegas-leaning which would make some areas easier - i.e. due to the Courier helping certain outposts, they would be more loyal to someone who tried to help them rather than send them to die. Great idea for the Boomers: you could get a one-time use laser designator like the Euclid C-Finder for the Boomers to target. Well, the problem with that is that you would need both a male/female version and it depends on what sort of speech the character can give - is is strictly reading off of a pre-written speech, or will there be a dialog choice? I would rather have a PR guy or something that would be giving humorous speeches, sort of like at the end of Half-Life 2 when Dr. Kleiner is telling everyone over the PA system to get "freaky" with one another now that reproduction inhibitor field was disabled.

Cass - @Devilman1975 - you're right, I am making an assumption on Cass that is based off of several factors such as her drinking herself to death after her caravan died; not being able to get justice without screwing over the NCR; and her general lifestyle. One can make a different set of conclusions off the same facts, but based off of her behavior, I think that's the most reasonable direction for her part in the quest-line. Of course, if she were appointed head of the Crimson Caravan, say to appease the Courier, that too would make sense and be proper compensation for her loss. I actually would have liked to see that scene with Cass and the Courier waking up afterwards and not knowing what the heck was going on - like every Vegas-based comedy movie. Vault City - I'm sorry, I think I'm not understanding what you guys are talking about. Vault CIty, aka Vault 8, was an above ground city that used their vault as a power generator and for storage. If anyone is interested, there was a good mod made for Fallout 3 that used the Vault City design style, and it can be found here. Vault 21 is just a vault, mostly filled in with concrete; excavating it would take a lot of work, as would restoring all the components Mr. House stripped out - but in the end, it would still be a vault and thus limited - I think the biggest commercial vault was designed for 2000 people max. Vault 21 - sure, it would be cool to see the Vault restored. I would like to see the Gate Room rebuilt as well. Joshua Graham - the thing with using him as a weapon against the Legion is that I just don't see him working for the NCR; and without a strong Legion command or replacement leadership, the whole thing will fall apart into anarchy with tribal groups ruling supreme. This may just be me, but I see him more like The Man With No Name from the Sergio Leone movies - traveling around the Wild West being basically neutral - sometimes doing bad, but being mostly good; and following his own code of honor. NCR Embassy - I don't know, even enemies have embassies in each others countries.

Joshua Graham is an interesting character that I felt was wasted in Honest Hearts (not my favorite of the DLC's), but this Rival General would have to be another person entirely. The backstory would actually fit Graham - but in the event he is killed, it might mess up the storyline, plus how would we explain Graham getting control of the Legion again? He apparently hates what it turned into (from the wiki: "What he believed may have been the start of a society of equals under one banner has become a totalitarian culture dominated by one man.") and Cesar made it pretty clear he wanted Graham dead, which means the die-hard Legion fanatics wouldn't accept him - and you have to pretty fanatical to attack guys armed with rifles with just short swords and leather armor for defense. Vulpes would be a contender, however, I killed him. I realize not all people did so, and the "turn coat" is actually based off of him. Of course I'm sure that sort of thing can be tracked by the game, so all we would need would be a new conversation topic: "I killed you!" "You killed a body double - or perhaps you killed the original... does it really matter?". My only problem with that hypothetical situation is that I wouldn't trust the turncoat, no matter how helpful he would be. The way I see it, Helios One was inoperable unless you completed the associated quest; which means the BOS wouldn't have much interest in it, especially after their crushing defeat caused by Elijah believing he could get it working and not retreating when it was clear all was lost. If Helios One is restored, then it might be used as a bargaining chip. As for Veronica, I don't know - most of the endings don't end with her associating with the BOS in any real positive fashion. The Remnants have several things against them right away: A) There is only one base they operate from, which means when the vertibird is used, it can be tracked back to its hanger. B) They are older, with only a handful members. If one is lost, they can't be replaced with an equal candidate. C) The Enclave is probably the one group that most people can unite together enough to fight against. D) The strikes at the Dam, both by vertibird and bomber, were effective since no one was expecting them. It really won't be that hard to make a working AA gun to prevent their use again. The Boomers remain a viable ally to use against the Legion and NCR, the bomber being a really great way to stop troop columns from invading. Yeah, looking forward to seeing it. Too bad there aren't ride-able vehicles in this game - having him riding around on a robot horse or mutant animal would have been awesome. I don't think Cass would start another caravan, a romance is possible I guess, and depending on how you complete here quest - a very possible scenario. My idea is for her to run a saloon in Freeside, like her father was in Fallout 2 before being recruited. Benny can be killed as part of the quest line, so I don't think he should play an important part. Marcus probably wouldn't leave the super-mutants again for fear Keene would try and take over. Harland is a good idea, but he too can be killed when escaping if you don't clear out the Nightkin. For every established character, there would have to be a stand-in created as well so the quest-line isn't broken.

Lanius & Rival General - I actually didn't mean for the rival general to take Lanius' place, simply that he was the arch-type for the legend as he is infamous in his own right. I basically want a bogeyman to make the choice harder. I keep imagining him upon on a throne sitting on top of a mountain of blood and bones, with crucified people surrounding him, moaning in agony (how's that for a visual?). Helios One - I agree about the Archimedes II weapon - I set Helios One to divert power to everyone equally as I honestly have enough high-powered weaponry. As part of the overall improvement of the Mojave, I would really have liked for a way to improve Helios One further so that the power output is increased safely so that there are no brownouts. I would recommend a BOS related side-quest dealing with Helios One if it's online, where if Hardin is the BOS elder, there will be an attack on Helios One that can only be stopped if you are in good terms with the BOS or if you have an extremely high speech skill, maybe even a combo of both. Vault City - the original Vault City in Fallout 2 was actually rather similar to New Vegas, with an inner section that had a clean, well laid out city protected by high walls and turrets; and an outer section that was for everyone else, protected by a chain link fence and some turrets. This is where I figured this idea was going. The New Vegas location would make sense as it is the seat of power and should look accordingly. While I like your idea in theory Devilman1975, I don't think that would work here, in this specific case, since it would require the building of a new city in enemy territory with limited resources and supply trains. The original Vault City had years to build, and a GECK to fertilize the land with - I imagine Legion raids would start immediately to remove the invaders and they have numbers on their side.

Lanius & The Rival Legion General I think you misunderstood where I was going with the idea, and on re-reading my post, the fault lies with me: What I was trying to say is that Lanius is a capable commander, strong of body and of cunning intelligence, but he is not well liked due to his brutal methods. So this leads me to ask, why would Cesar pick Lanius as his successor? So, let's try to figure this out: whenever a king grows older, he thinks about who will succeed him, and Cesar would surely have been no different. He has no known family or children and Cesar knew he would eventually die, so would he really leave his hard built empire in the hands of a monster who dislikes the Legion? I suppose if Cesar truly had no other choice, say due to Lanius' popularity, I could follow that train of thought - but that does not appear to be the case here. So, let's make the assumption that Cesar knows what he's doing, and has created a symbol for the Legion: an unstoppable, and bloodthirsty savage in an ever present mask. The mask prevents anyone from identifying him (not even his slaves know what he looks like as he had them blinded), so if he's killed, a new Lanius can rise up. This theory is based off of the many origins and contradictory nature of his behavior. Joshua Graham, and the ever-lingering rumors that he still lives despite his horrific punishment, could have been what gave Cesar the idea. Joshua Graham could fail, falter, die - Lanius would not. If a Lanius died during a battle, simply killing the rest of the soldiers eliminates the witnesses and the legend continues. Alright, I hope you guys are with me so far. Now, a legend is only as good as the stories that surround it. The victories and associated accomplishments could have been done by one man, but let's say Cesar had Lanius take the credit for a particularly tough engagement or massacre so that those who participated can honestly say that yes, that event happened. Most stories that are retold are naturally inflated, so even if it started out as General Markus of the Seventh Legion, it can become Lanius "helping" General Markus. No one can prove it didn't happen, and sometimes people will believe they saw something that actually wasn't there. Now, based off of the wiki, Lanius is very temperamental when it comes to his honor and reputation which would fit this overall concept as he would be protecting the legend. That is all well and good, but the very public nature of the Second Battle of Hoover Dam breaks the unbeatable legend and Lanius can no longer rely on his reputation to allow him to take the leadership of the Legion. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** The Rival Legion General could be one of the people that credit was taken from. The bloodthirsty savage is real, just most of it wasn't done by Lanius, but instead, by this guy. Before, there was Legion discipline to curtail the worst of his excesses - without the hand on his leash, he's no better than a rabid beast. Vault Vegas I figure that New Vegas will be the shining jewel of the Courier's empire - can't have it looking busted up, can we? My alternate suggestions are if rebuilding New Vegas is too much work or too hard to do due to mod conflicts. Helios One The main problem with Archimedes II is the lack of power, only gaining enough to fire once a day. If the Hoover Dam is under control, I'm sure power can be diverted from the dam to Helios One, allowing quicker uses - some cooldown should be added for balance if this is implemented. Vaults Maybe it's just me, but I think the vaults should stay as they are, minus some clutter cleanup - unless of course there is a good explanation as to how (and why) the refurbishment was done, then I guess go for it.

A lot of the stuff surrounding Lanius appears to be myth, probably circulated by himself. While the Legion was under Cesar's control, people like the rival general could only go so far, do so much - without Lanius or Cesar, that general would have no restraint; basically, the myths spread about Lanius would actually be based off of the actual exploits of this guy. Vault Town - I would like to see the Strip and West/Free side rebuilt in this style, but if you are referring to some other location, my ideas revolve around a rebuilt Nipton, Novac, or Boulder City. Boulder City is a particularly good choice as it's mostly a blank slate, and in close proximity to the Dam.

Well, first, let me interrupt you there for a moment, as it is possible to "defeat" Lanius and convince him to retreat - a variable to consider when planning out a Legion back-story. I killed him on principle, but someone else might not take the same path. The way I see it, if both are kiilled - the emperor and his successor in one blow - I can safely say, based off of human nature, that any commander will want to take the reigns of power. I don't know if anyone here played Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun; but the leader of one of the two factions in the game is named Kane, and when he "dies" without a clear successor, NOD fractures into sub-factions, each fighting amongst themselves and their primary enemy, GDI. If Lanius remains alive, I think he should be neutralized anyway - thus my "no confidence" solution. Any commander closely allied with Lanius would want to distance himself from the loser of such a situation. There could still be a tournament, but that's not typically how Roman Emperors gained power, at least I don't remember that being the case. Besides, a tournament is about personal strength, which is good to know but a commander has to be more than that and I honestly don't see the Legion generals willingly surrender power just to someone who can kill better than someone else. A Boomer attack or assassination is still a good idea, in fact I will go further and say that it would be very interesting to have some quests involving a war campaign against the Legion Warlords who are again threatening the Mojave. The Legion appears to respect strength of body and mind, so attacking and defeating the Legion on their own territory will go a long way to forcing them to respect the Courier and leave the Mojave alone. Continuing from the above point, I just got this idea: The courier is approached by a Legion member. He offers to help with stopping the Legion who are beginning to again make raids on the Mojave. He claims to be helping because he hates the Legion for capturing him when he was a boy. He identifies certain target locations and commanders that if destroyed/killed would force the Legion to leave the Mojave alone, at least for several years. After most of these targets/commanders are killed, the Courier begins to realize that something is very wrong with the whole situation as one of the sub-factions appears to be in just the right time and place to take advantage of the Courier's actions. When you confront the supposed turncoat, he admits that the Courier was being used to take out his rivals. At this point, you can have a moral-challenging moment - the Legion General of the strongest rival faction is a monster that makes Lanius look like a kitten - but he will never be able to gather enough forces to keep the Legion as powerful as before, thus softening it up for possible annexation by the NCR - but in the meantime, he will be unleashing untold suffering, a Caligula-like figure if you will. This leaves you with several choices: 1) You can kill the rival general and let the "turncoat" take over, but risk a future enemy that will be as capable or more so than Cesar himself. 2) You kill the "turncoat" and leave the rival general in power. The misery and death he unleashes will then be your fault. There will be a huge influx of refugees that will severely tax the limited capabilities of the Mojave. 3) You kill both - this will lead to a further fracturing of the Legion causing them to become nothing more than raiders. Without control, they will plague the Mojave like the Vipers but with better training and less restraint. 4) You send the turncoat away - this leads to a protracted conflict between the two factions. One will eventually win, but that will be somewhere down the line and the Legion may be weaker for it. This is probably the best choice as both faction limit the death and destruction to each other, but the Courier doesn't get the satisfaction of dealing the turncoat. The whole thing could take place through dialog, with no new areas needing to be made. ==================================================================== I don't think the vault's should be restored - cleaned up maybe, but not restored; it really is beyond the technical capabilities of any of the factions. The scripting from the second mod would be good to have, but I would add it to the Secuitron Vault, as I know of at least one popular mod that would conflict with Cerulean Robotics.

My ideas for the Legion and NCR was mostly to create new possibilities, not particularly limited by past choices made throughout the game: With the Legion in schism, there could be several new warlords trying to grab power and using the Mojave as a rallying cry. With the NCR defeated not once, but twice, the leadership would definitely not be happy with the Courier (assassination attempts) but if you were good to the NCR otherwise, individuals might be more appreciative, some even changing sides. In the case of Yes Man, I meant the resulting personality after the upgrade would be created based off of quest-related variables; but I'll agree that it will be easier to do if if was related to the new quest line. I actually see that as a distinct possibility: joining as equals for more power rather than being annexed - Senator Yes Man sounds a little wrong - how about... Bob? Vault inhabitants don't appear to be particularly well educated, or rather, not very knowledgeable about the way the world really is outside of the vault - it's nice to know how to repair a air filter, but when you're being shot at by raiders using assault rifles, knowing that ain't worth the paper it was printed on. Like I said, the vaults serve their purpose well enough - it would be nice to have them actually protect people other than raiders.

Cesar's Legion A lot of the possible outcomes are determined whether or not Cesar is dead, mostly because he build the legion to be a cult of personality around him (heck, it's called Cesar's Legion). That said, here's what I imagine would happen after the Second Battle: With Cesar dead/disabled, Lanius takes over - but while a seemingly able commander; he also appears to rule by fear, even having a myth proclaiming him to be a bloodthirsty monster circulated through the Legion. If Cesar had died from natural causes, Lanius might have ultimately kept the Legion under his control, but being killed or forced to retreat will severely damage morale and break down the order that holds the Legion together. I would imagine that the Empire will begin to rip itself apart at the seams, possibly reverting to former tribal identities as the various factions fight amongst themselves -each attempting to carve up their own slice of the Empire. Eventually, the infighting will allow an external force, NCR or other, to destroy the Legion entirely - ending just like the Roman Empire that Cesar based his Legion off of. None of which would endear the Courier to anyone in the Legion except those wishing to join the winning side. NCR A lot was riding on control of the Hoover Dam, with President Kimball basically staking his political career on it. I would imagine that with the NCR defeat, he would be impeached/voted out pretty quickly given his lack of overall popularity and the major loss of troops, territory, technology, and treasure. Giving such a powerful country a black eye will no doubt produce a large amount of fear and hysteria, great tools to rile the populace - even those who didn't want the NCR to be in the Mojave would feel the need for revenge against a common threat: the Courier. There would probably be a major military response soon after the events of the Second Battle were made known, but considering how thin the NCR was already stretched, it would probably be stopped by the securitrons. With the NCR left to catch it's breath, and the Courier showing his mettle, things would calm down for the time being - but another conflict would be just a heartbeat away as envious eyes stare hungrily at the Mojave. Yes Man The character should probably be shaped by decisions taken in certain side quests, preferably those dealing or starting with New Vegas and the surrounding area (for example: freeside/westside) – in this way Yes Man's personality would shift based off of the Courier's decisions. For example: "Hard Luck Blues" involves Vault 34 and its out of control reactor; siding with the sharecroppers will shift Yes Man to worry about the many over the few. These shifts would not impact the overall quest line dramatically, but it would be nice to have some random encounters based off of the shaped personality: for example, let's say there is a fight between two groups of people near the Tops: if "G.I. Blues" was solved with a truce between the Kings and the NCR, then the securitron attempts to calm both sides down and try to get an agreement without violence; alternately, if the player is more friendly with one side, the securitron will choose that group to support; etc. Vaults The thing about the vaults is that for the most part, they are exactly what they sound like – secure shelters. The main draw was a safe place to sleep and maybe some old world weaponry. There were exceptions of course: for example, Vault 22 was a humongous lab experimenting with resilient plant life - something very useful in the wasteland; but that was more of an exception rather than the rule. Most vaults had some defect or handicap as part of a societal experiment and thus pretty useless as anything other than their intended purpose. The difference with Rage vaults was that their value was in the advanced tech and people stored within – people who were especially valuable due to their enhancements; the people within most vaults are not very exceptional and might even be slightly inbred. The vaults in the Mojave have mostly a strategic value (and maybe some high-powered loot), but are otherwise not very exceptional. The draw to the vaults in general is more about the stories they contain - of the ways that Vault-Tec failed at protecting those housed within and having the inhabitants either fail due to, or succeed despite, the handicaps placed upon them. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s how I see it.

I actually don't think the Mojave Vaults serve any real purpose anymore other than as semi-secure shelters. It's doubtful that there will be a WW4, or that the vaults would be in good enough shape to withstand the effects. The Mojave got lucky in that the Lucky 38 was able to stop most of the missiles, but even so, it's been 200 years since then, and time is not kind to anyone or anything, and.most of the vaults have been stripped of tech or broken down entirely. The idea is mostly to prevent groups like the Powder Gangers from using an area like this as a base of operations. It is doubtful that any faction left standing really has the resources or desire to restore the vaults to working conditions, much less Pre-War status. Vault 34- there's a mod that gives a third option, where depending on your skill level, you can save both groups. You can find it here, but it only works if you didn't finish the quest already. I think that should be left to devinpatterson's other project, the one dealing with BigMT.

Actually, as loathe as I usually am to use things like that, it would fit to have a personal guard of securitrons to call upon, but they would have to be unique looking compared to regular versions. Most of the groups mentioned can't be controlled, only pacified. Goodsprings - I agree, it should be left alone. That said, I did have this idea, independent of any ending, of a memorial statue or plaque added to the Goodsprings Cemetary in honor of the Courier. For good or bad, the Courier will have changed the lives of most of the people in the Mojave (and beyond). It might be interesting to have something like a Braveheart moment (hey, its the Courier! Nah, can't be - too short) by some of the visitors. I also had this idea of a Cult developing around the Courier, but I don't really have anything further other than the concept. Primm - I agree - if supporting the NCR and they loose, they should just be replaced by regular militia. The Kings - yep. My best suggestion is that if the Kings are removed or weakened, then Freeside would have a raider/criminal infestation. NCRCF - Sounds about right. If this mod will be split off or have additional NCR victory-based quests, there's a mod here somewhere about finishing the quest with the NCR taking over the NCRCF again that could be used. Vault 19 - yep, but I got the surrender and cave blow-up ending in the default game and the respawns did become disabled as well. I had this idea a while ago about taking control of major locations similar to the Stormcloak/Imperial battles in Skyrim; with all the Vaults, Cottonwood Cove, Nipton, etc. flying your factions flag and having your troops guard them after taking them over. There would also be patrols moving back in forth along claimed areas, making the roads safer and bringing in more trade profit, sort of like how it is in Legion territory. There would be an upgrade system with each base starting out with regular militia that could be upgraded with better armor, weapons, and even skills. Even with an army of securitrons, it would still make sense to have human troops as well, like the Casino families. The miltia can be called something like the Liberators, keeping the independent feel.

Well, I'm not exactly an official team member, but welcome Postapocalypticmama to the discussion, and thank you very much for whatever contribution you may bring. :)

If we're talking about super-mutants and the BOS, there are so many elements to consider: What about Black Mountain - with or without Tabitha? What about Marcus being dead or alive? (although this is more NCR related I guess) How were the nightkin dealt with? Were the BOS destroyed or allied with another group like the NCR? How much difference will it make who the leader of the BOS is? ====================================================================== I've thought about the various ways to connect the two groups, and I think the best bet is to use Black Mountain as a flashpoint for a serious conflict between the two groups: Black Mountain is a radioactive pit, but it's still part of the Hidden Valley defense system, which implies some really good technology hidden away. While I don't necessarily want an uber-vault filled with tech goodies, I'm pretty sure that it can be made into a major target that the BOS want to control. McNamara might not have wanted to attack it while Marcus was there, but now that he's gone, it changes things. Hardin would definitely attack it, no question. The way I see it, a BOS/SM war will end in 4 ways: 1) Super Mutant Victory - the BOS is succesfully repelled, and nightkin harass BOS patrols in the Hidden Valley. While the BOS is safe in their underground bunker, but they can also never leave - and the super mutants have begun to dig... Most likely the only real difference will be move Super Mutant movement between Jacobstown. 2) BOS Victory - the BOS successfully take control of Black Mountain and refocus on their original mandate - take control of advanced technology. Most likely there will be BOS patrols harassing travelers. I don't think this mod should be very BOS centric, so that would be probably be it. 3) Truce - using diplomatic skills, the crisis can be solved peacefully. The super mutants remain as custodians and guardians, using their immense strength to excavate and rebuild areas too dangerous for the BOS; the BOS use their knowledge and skill to help stabilize nightkin (needs a little work - the BOS get the better end of the deal, and it might be added to the BOS victory of having slave super mutants). 4) Securitron Smash! - after the two sides have weakened themselves killing one another, recent history is repeated and the securitrons kill everyone left standing. This would just disable most of the super mutants No matter how it ends, people should talk about it, for example: "travelers have been disappearing and only bones have been found". "Those God-damned Brotherhood thugs took my supplies again". =============================================================== There are several more story elements, not related to this quest idea, but that should be added to the to-do list: Are there going to be Lonesome Road related aftershocks? Two possible outcomes involve destroying reinforcement and supply lines for the Legion and NCR. Are the Khans going to be disabled after the Hoover Dam Battle? Camp Forlorn Hope will have to be mostly disabled if the Legion was more powerful. Camp Golf is also going to be affected by which faction was supported more. Novac is pretty messed up after the battle, which means doing a Nipton on it, and possibly having extra NPC's (Bright's followers) helping to rebuild. Will Nipton be rebuilt or will it just look like reconstruction continues forever? I think there should be a land-based path between The Fort and Legate's Camp, with Securitrons controlling both areas heavily as they move back and forth the Dam. Considering the fact that the NCR would be pretty angry at the Courier; there should probably be no people at the Dam, just bots to prevent sabotage. Depending on the conclusion of Auld Lang Syne, will the Remnants still be at their base?

Well the whole story behind Jacobstown is that a supermutant (Marcus) and a BOS paladin (Jacob) got in a knock-down, drag-out fight - and somehow didn't kill one another during the process. Afterwards they were both exhausted, and suddenly laughed and became friends. They set up a successful mining town named Broken Hills, but it eventually get's abandoned either due to racial tensions, or if the player interferes - the same result but later, when the mine runs out. I concur with Devilman1975 - it depends on the elder at the end-game. If it's McNamara, then nothing changes - in fact, on the wiki, it says he had a truce with Marcus while he ran Black Mountain: If it's Hardin, there could be BOS/Super Mutant fights with BOS paladins attempting to take Jacobstown and Super Mutants attempting to enter Hidden Valley.

About the time frame: I think skipping to two weeks or a month later is best. It's easier to do and (using a hurricane analogy) this would be the Eye of the Storm, with the eery relative quiet about to become violent again. The Chapter 2 part sounds like a great start. Just to flesh things out a little: at this time, the Courier would outright control New Vegas and the Dam and with limited overall control of West/Freeside. NCR and Legion forces would be severely depleted since they basically wiped themselves out fighting at the Dam. Each would be holed up in fortified areas waiting for reinforcements, and I imagine there would be a rise in attacks by opportunistic raiders and army deserters. About the vanilla companions: this is just my opinion on the matter; but If you decide to go the route I'm suggesting, then the best bet is to probably use the Mass Effect style when dealing with companions from former games - they impact the next chapter in good or bad ways depending on whether they were once allied with you or are alive/dead; and depending on your status with them, make the overall game easier/harder. They can momentarily join up, but it might be better off if they went back to their lives after the current quest completes. Since you mentioned Cass, I got the impression that the caravan life was over for her. She might still travel and drink, but losing her employees and livelihood really got her (thus drinking herself to death at the Mojave Outpost); this is especially true if you play the pro-NCR side and deny her revenge. It would make sense for her to open up a stable business that could satisfy her drinking and screwing, while still leaving her useful to the plot. I remember mentioning a possible side-quest a while ago about investigating the murder of a prostitute - this could be linked to a serial killer that inadvertently killed a spy working for Cass (who was helping you out) and would end with finding the killer and finishing the work of the spy (i.e. something syndicate related). The problem with Veronica joining the Followers is that if you try that in-game, they get slaughtered by the BOS. With ED-E, I think the Navaro trip and finding nothing there is a good idea, especially since I gave the data to the Followers. I don't know if it's a good idea for more upgrades, but if yes, it might be nice to have a more advanced looking version - perhaps not this exactly, but something smaller, sleeker, and deadlier looking. Just some random stuff: We discussed this before, but while there is no apparent evidence that the securitron vault is anything but a storage area; I think it should be a manufacturing center as well, perhaps limited by supplies (perhaps opening up a mining settlement side-quest) to explain the increased numbers of securitrons. ***************************************************************************************** McCarran is only a threat if they control the monorail, but simply cutting power to the line (at the New Vegas Station side) would make it about as effective as a paperweight. There doesn't appear to be any artillery or major vertibird/airplane deployment that would be a possible equalizer versus securitrons. ***************************************************************************************** The cattle rancher / white glove thing reminded me of something I read from the original Fallout 3 (Van Buren): there was a quest line that involved tribals; where you could defeat their leader, Hecate, and free them from oppression in the short term, or leave her in power and lead to a stronger breed of humanity in the long term. They tried to combine this with Cesar's Legion, but ultimately they just came off as bad guys. I'm not too fond of most morally ambiguous quest/quest-lines, as they are typically not done very well or are slanted in a particular way. ***************************************************************************************** Mr. House conceded nothing really, he basically gave it all away since he had no real way to control it - the platinum chip was missing and his army was asleep. It's like that old fable of the Rabbit and the Wolf, using reverse psychology to get what you want. His only real bargaining chip was New Vegas itself, which was run by a limited amount of securitrons and allied tribal groups.

The penthouse in the exterior shares an exterior cell with the lounge. I would rather have a new companion, something like Geoffrey Rush's character in Elizabeth - a spymaster. Well educated, funny, and very deadly.

I agree with Devilman1975: for the most part, the vanilla companions feel lacking and it might be better to make them into regular NPCs - the custom companions (I would add the two from the Boulder mod as well) are much more interesting. Since there is a year long jump, I think the best best best would be to have them visible, but ultimately not that important. Arcade - I concur, leave him as FOA, but I would also make him a teacher like in one of his better endings. This would mainly involve making a class room and several kid NPC's to show that Free side is prospering. Boone - I got the best pro-NCR ending, so it might have to be tweaked, but it would make sense to meet him patrolling the raider areas with his own squad (Rangers if NPC's, just well armed mercs if not.) Cass - I think she should open her own bar in Freeside and use it as a spy ring. Alcohol can loose lips and she can drink most people under the table - her prostitute employees get the rest when they are lying in bed. Lilly - for some reason, I see her as having her at one of the farms near New Vegas, with a couple of bighorners for company. How crazy she is/isn't well depend on the medicine intake. Raul - It would be awesome to have him be a mechanic by day and a Zorro-like character at night, with his own secret hideout and leaving an "R" carved into his dead enemies. ED-E - yeah, there's really no where else for him to go except visit his other self at Lonesome Road. Rex - I'm biased here, but I really don't like cyber-dogs, at least the way they are portrayed in-game. Have him be with the King or with the Followers if the King is dead. Veronica - there was a thread here (a while ago) about reuniting Veronica and Christine; while I would still like to see that, ultimately, I think the best bet would be for Veronica leading a group like the BOS, but one who actually uses technology to help humanity rather than just squirrels it away. There used to be a mod (banned now) about getting control of your own unofficial BOS chapter called the Apostates - seems like a good concept for Veronica. It could be based out of the abandoned BOS bunker.

Huh, I stand corrected - but that does bring up the question, why would Anthony House, hated half-brother, have been involved in producing securitrons?