True Enclave

[Gafgar Adolis]

behemoth-sized member of the Secret Service to move about in.

 

I'm going to assume you're talking about Frank Horrigan... although that wouldn't make much sense since he was killed in 2242...

 

I've said it before, i'll say it again: this game only makes sense if you imagine it occuring at the same time as the original Fallout, or slightly after. I always mentally amend the dates when I play so as not to break my suspension of disbelief. :biggrin:

 

If FO3 was occurring at the same time as FO1, then the Brotherhood would not have met the Enclave yet, both the Brotherhood and the Enclave would still be in California and not on the east coast, and Frank Horrigan would not even have been born yet.

 

There is a single, perfectly reasonable explanation as to why the Capital Wastelands looks like it does rather than how it should look 200 years after a nuclear war:

 

A wizard did it.

[essi2]

I fail to see the problem with how the DC wasteland looks.... anyone care to enlighten me?

[Gafgar Adolis]

In real life, all of DC from Bethesda to the shore opposite of Rivet City (if not all of the Capital Wastelands period) would be a giant glassy crater after a nuclear war, as you can be sure anyone we got into a nuclear *censored* fest with would have targeted the American capital with far more than one or two bombs. And said bombs should have done far more damage than just blow up the White House - Hiroshima and Nagasaki were flattened by the earliest, weakest nuclear weapons available. Modern nuclear weapons would leave most of Maryland and Virginia in cinders, and even 50s retro H-Bombs would have done far more damage than what we can see in DC - hell, the Washington Monument and the Capitol building are both standing. They shouldn't be, not after having nukes go off nearby.

 

There's also the small fact that a full two centuries after the bombs fell, much of the radiation should have dissipated and plant life should be growing again. Oasis shouldn't be the only place with trees - even parts of downtown DC should be resembling a jungle by now. And there's way too much radiation around Vault 93, especially considering there's no real sign of a nuclear detonation 'right on top of it' like there supposedly was.

 

Of course, having trees and greenery everywhere and absolutely no recognizable landmarks standing would make FO3 hardly look like a Fallout game, and EVEN MORE LIKE OBLIVION THAN IT DOES NOW, which is why Bethesda made some reality-bending adjustments to preserve the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland flavor.

 

Some people do not see things that way, however.

 

If you want my take: the Enclave faked the nuclear attack on Washington with their own ordinance as a way to justify a counterattack, thus starting The War. Some nuclear weapons produce little physical damage but massive doses of radiation, and some of these (like cobalt bombs, some of the nastiest weapons ever developed) produce radiation that lasts far longer than more standard nuclear arsenals - even if there hadn't been a giant fireball consuming everything in sight, radiation still = nukes, therefore radiation in DC = DC got nuked = FIRE ZE MISSILES. The US launches, then the Chinese launch, and then everything goes straight to hell.

 

Meanwhile the Enclave sits back on their oil rig, slowly dons sunglasses, and watches the ensuing fireworks.

[essi2]

There's also the small fact that a full two centuries after the bombs fell, much of the radiation should have dissipated and plant life should be growing again. Oasis shouldn't be the only place with trees - even parts of downtown DC should be resembling a jungle by now. And there's way too much radiation around Vault 93, especially considering there's no real sign of a nuclear detonation 'right on top of it' like there supposedly was.

 

The science of Fallout is based on what people expected the aftermath of a nuclear war to be and most people didn't believe it possible for nature for bounce back from nuclear fallout befor the chernobyl accident which proved that nature comes back stronger then ever.

 

Also any information scientific or pure fiction that was not mainstream during the 50s or a parody of said info, isn't relevent to the Fallout universe and would be unfallouty.

 

If you want my take: the Enclave faked the nuclear attack on Washington with their own ordinance as a way to justify a counterattack, thus starting The War. Some nuclear weapons produce little physical damage but massive doses of radiation, and some of these (like cobalt bombs, some of the nastiest weapons ever developed) produce radiation that lasts far longer than more standard nuclear arsenals - even if there hadn't been a giant fireball consuming everything in sight, radiation still = nukes, therefore radiation in DC = DC got nuked = FIRE ZE MISSILES. The US launches, then the Chinese launch, and then everything goes straight to hell.

 

I would not be suprise if this is what happened. And the cobalt although

not as a serious proposal for weapon

would be plausible as apart of the Fallout lore.

 

And a green Fallout game would become just another RPG/SHOOTER and would seize to be a Fallout game regardless of the timeline of the game.

[bgrunge]

Yeah, explaining the brotherhood's presence is a little tough, no matter how you slice it. the Enclave however, could have easily sprung up in multiple areas of the country simultaneously, since theyd still have access to limited communications and coordination.

 

As for DC not being flattened, If you read about our country's current nuclear strategy, you'll find that we've been phasing out the huge warheads in favor of smaller, dirtier warheads that would deny an area longer. If we imagine other countries pursuing the same philosophy, large megaton weapons most likely would not have been used; most weapons would have been MIRVs that disperse massive numbers of tactical or slightly larger than tactical nukes. This would have ensured population death and large radiation dispersal while minimizing infrastructure damage (important if you want to capture it eventually), as well as being a good way to avoid anti ICBM systems, which exist now and surely would have existed at the time of the exchange, given fallout's pre-war technology level. This could explain the large background levels of radiation, as well as the relatively low property damage.

 

Also, anti-ICBM systems would have course prioritize missiles coming for DC, so perhaps all potential direct hits were avoided, and what we see in game is the result of a near miss by a very large warhead or a couple near misses by smaller ones.

 

As for Hiroshima, well, it was primarily a wooden city, and was not built to withstand bombing. Hence, the flattening. Many buildings in Fallout 3, though, look like they were. This could explain their survival as well

[Noobsause]

WHO CARES ? WE GET TO KILL GIANT MOLE RATS, SCORPIONS, ANTS, FLYS, AND A HOLE LOT OF OTHER CRAP REALISM BE DAMED DAMN IT! DOES NO ONE JUST PLAY THE DAMN GAME FOR CRYING OUT LOUD WHY DO WE NEED TO DISCUS IFS AND HOWS AND WHY

 

now can we get back on subject please

[Gafgar Adolis]

Yes.

 

I've finished rebalancing the existing Enclave PAs and the Classic APA, though I haven't modified the other power armors and my changes will probably be rendered moot by all of you F.O.O.K users out there anyway.

 

However, for reference, a list of the power armors that are currently planned for implementation/already ingame:

 

Advanced Power Armor Mk IIb (Enclave Power Armor): More advanced than the T-45s used by the Brotherhood of Steel, but slightly weaker damage reduction than the Pre-War T-51b to save on production and maintenance costs.

Advanced Power Armor Mk IIbt (Enclave Tesla Power Armor [Prototype]): Equal in damage reduction to the T-51b, with all the bonuses of the APA Mk IIb plus a bonus to Energy Weapons. If I can find out a way to add a reduction to incoming energy weapon damage I'm going to add that too.

Advanced Power Armor Mk IIa (Classic Advanced Power Armor): Twice the bonuses of the Mk IIb and more damage reduction than the T-51b. Very powerful.

Tesla Power Armor Mk I (Enclave Tesla Power Armor [Production]): An upgrade to the APA MkIIbt with significantly more bonuses and damage reduction, approaching APA Mk IIa levels of power. Currently using the vanilla Tesla Power Armor (APA Mk IIbt) appearance as a placeholder. Acquired after the completion of a series of optional sidequests.

Advanced Power Armor Mk III (Near-Gamebreaking Godmode): A pairing and continuation of the technologies and advancements seen in the Advanced Power Armor Mk IIa and the Tesla Power Armor Mk I, this is a walking juggernaut. It significantly increases strength and perception at no cost to agility and offers twice the damage reduction of APA Mk IIa. I'm trying to find a way to add what amounts to as a shield that blocks energy weapons damage, but no dice yet. Currently using the vanilla Enclave Power Armor/APA Mk IIb appearance as a placeholder. Acquired after completion of a lengthy and difficult series of optional sidequests unrelated to the Tesla Power Armor Mk I questline.

Advanced Power Armor Mk IIIC (Gamebreaking Godmode): Upgraded commander's variant of the APA Mk III - acquired after unlocking the standard APA Mk III - which only the player can wear. Increased stats compared to the already ludicrous 'regular' APA Mk III turn the wearer into an invincible bloody nightmare in combat. Only one will be available, but it can be repaired to 100%

by the design & production team.

 

 

Also, layout of Fort David and Dornan's Gas & Grocer is roughly 70% complete. The exterior worldspace and Patriot Caverns still remain to be set up, however, in addition to lighting/cluttering/navmeshing/etc. Here's a quick comparison between Fort Darius and Fort David in their original intended designs, though some changes may be made before release.

[someguynamedjoe]

I have an idea for a possible quest with this mod. If the player didn't have Raven Rock destroyed, would it be possible for an all-out siege on Raven Rock later in the quest line?

 

Possibly another one on the Citadel, too?

[Gafgar Adolis]

There are indeed Seize Raven Rock (indeed, leaving Raven Rock intact opens up an entirely new questline involving a power struggle between your faction of the Enclave and Eden's faction) and Seize the Pentagon quests worked into the questline.

Though the Citadel will be overrun with Super Mutants by the time you get there.

[someguynamedjoe]

I thought it would be kind of cool if, during the Seize Raven Rock mission, if it would be possible to completely reprogram Eden's AI to be blindly loyal to you, thus supplementing your army (assuming you plan on implementing Enclave Commander into your mod) with new kinds of robotic troops.

 

Or is this not possible?