Realism Discussion

[Harabec Weathers]

plane and simple, if I wanted realism, I wouldn't be playing a videogame ;)

 

Point and case right there my friend.

I couldnt have put it any better lol.

 

Ask me if there are some things that are a little goofy? Yes

 

Ask me if I want a dead on real life simulation? No

Heres why:

Radiation: You're character would be bead in no time because all the food is irratiated. All the water is irratiated.

Realism would also deny the existance of Super Mutants, Giant Radscorpions, Mirelurks, etc.

Youre character would not be able to swim since there is no pool or body of water inside vault 101

Power Armors wouldnt work in water (which would suck)

Bottlecaps wouldnt be of any monetary value, eveything would be pure barter with no capitol since, well since money is useless.

Electricity would be hard to come by.

Taking a missle to that face would kill you, end of story.

Ghouls would not excist

 

Lastly, whos making all these bullets?

 

Do you see why its better for a video game to be a video game ;)

[Harabec Weathers]

Thank you saaltyjustice for finally dishing out somer serious knowledge. I know how radiation works and all that but you explained it much better than me.

Kudos for your smarts.

 

@ illuknisaa

Yes water would be irratiaded. It would not sustain life at all.

[Miloch]

@ SaltyJuistice

Thanks for a serious reply with some good scientific knowledge. That's pretty much what this post is about. Discussing how things would actually turn out in a nuclear war.

 

By my comments that you can't catch radiation I meant that you can't start putting off radiation because you were exposed to radiation. I did know you could ingest fallout. But you put so many more details about it than I knew.

 

@ Harebec Weathers

Please, pretty please, oh my god please, stop commenting on the fact that this is just a video game. I know. I've stated as much several times. That is why this is simply a discussion thread. It's stated at the start that this is discussing the differences. No one is going about how fallout 3 should be realistic. Realistic is not fun. It usually doesn't make a good video game.

 

But yeah, the bullets too. I had meant to mention those. Where are all these bullets coming from!? America in the Fallout world must have had some seriously loose gun laws. No regulation what so ever. Must have sold them at candy shops to the kids. :P

 

@ Everyone

All in all it seems that nuclear war is still a truly horrific thing.

So it's still a good thing that Fallout is quite a bit tongue in cheek. (btw that means silly for those who are feeling a bit dense today. :P)

[Tony the Wookie]

the vision of Fallout is aimed more at the 1950s idea of what nuclear war was, as opposed to what we know now in the year 2009

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz3t4LcXwtE...feature=related

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixy5FBLnh7o&NR=1

 

[evilneko]

And that's why there's so many guns and bullets around. EveryDad took EverySon out hunting, or at least shooting. Hunting rifles and .32 ammo should be even more common than they are, especially in houses.

 

Course, I have a soft spot for the good ol' huntin' rifle. It was to my low-level character what the laser rifle was to me at high level.

[l0n3llyw0lf]

Wow, i've been known if we have bunch real scientist in this forum :D . Very intersting topic, but well i didn't want to give more quotes (everything has to explain very specific) so i just want to said "Enjoy this game before u comeback to the ash" :) .

[LithianLord]

Here's a reply to the base post full of actual scientific stuff by a learn-ed person. Pay attention, you might learn somethin'.

 

Plant Life: Radiation kills it good. The ash created from the fallout would not only be ridden with all sorts of chemical pollutants not incinerated by the blast, but would also be irradiated, especially if the bombs were ground-burst which they evidently were (Trust the Chinese to use a scorched earth policy). For more on why the radiation in the ash would kill the plants, see below. But believe me, it'd be some time before greenery returned after a nuclear holocaust.

 

:wallbash: I half agree with this. Yes radiation is bad, but not the extent most people think. Have you seen Chernobyl? Animal and plant life flourishes in what is still concidered "retardedly radiated". Even at ground zero, plant life continues to show how resiliant mother nature is. Sure, a bunch of atomic bombs would create more atomic fallout then a nuclear meltdown (depending on the bombs) but after 200 years, the whole wasteland would look like oasis. Play STALKER and that's what a realistic nuclear wasteland would look like.

 

Nuclear Winter: I admit, much of the basis for this is conjecture. The trigger for ice-ages is the closing off of major warm ocean currents. If the dust was enough to block out the sun long enough to freeze Trafalgar, for example, the Mediterranean would freeze and the resulting feedback loop would trigger an ice age.

 

What I can answer concretely is that no, the cold or heat would not significantly affect the half-life of the fallout. Only extreme temperatures on the order of -300 would affect it even theoretically and it would not be noticeable in our lifetime, or even our planet's lifetime.

 

Completly true, but the way I see it is that of a two fold process. One: Beth hates adding weather systems. Two: I don't feel the capitol wasteland was hit with enough bombs to create enough of a layer to block out the sun. Honestly, what bombs actually went off other then the White House bomb? Commies can't make a decent weapon it seems.

 

Mutations: You're confusing mutations in the cell stages. Cells reproduce in two ways: One is done by the bulk of the cells in your body and is done to produce an exact copy of the stem cell. The other is when sex cells (sperm and egg) cross genetic data to produce new organisms. The second one is what produces offspring, and the second one is where mutation affects evolution.

 

If you get a mutation in the first type of cell (such as skin, liver, throat, stomach, blood, etc cells) then you get a localized mutation. The cell has automatic recovery enzymes which can fix the broken DNA and will attempt to. If they are unsuccessful, the cell shuts down and disassembles itself. If it cannot do this due to the mutation, it's called cancerous. If it reproduces itself afterwards, it's called a tumor. Tumors kill organisms outright. These kinds of mutations are universally bad. They do not hasten evolution, they curtail it by killing organisms before they reproduce. Mutations in the reproduction cells happen anyway and radiation would not help the process. This doesn't help the plants that survived any either, but for more on them see the fallout part below.

 

Real life event above. But this is a video game and people expect mutants to shoot. Though with stem cells we could theoretically get mutants. They did put a working eye on a mouse's knee before.

 

Fallout and Radiation: Radiation IS something you can catch, as long as you define catch in very broad terms. Allow me to explain.

 

Let's say you, without any protective gear (which reduces, but does not eliminate, the danger) are walking around in an area with fallout. You kick up some dust and you breath some of that dust in. Some of that dust is radioactive, and some of it finds its ways down your throat into your stomach. The dust is small and easily dissolves in your saliva, so this can happen.

 

When your stomach enzymes find it, they incorrectly figure it's Calcium (Enzymes are not smart). This is because Uranium has a similar ionic size and the same charge (2+) as Calcium. Your enzymes pack it up for distribution to your bones. The radioactive Uranium, now lodged in your bones, proceeds to radiate in there. This causes the bone immediately surrounding the Uranium to effectively turn to glass, which is not strong. It also starts to kill white blood cells that pass by and cause cancer. Your bones shatter easily and you get cancer, you die. This happens to almost every living organism with a few microscopic exceptions.

 

Plants are affected in a similar way. Calcium Carbonate is an excellent plant fertilizer, though you probably know it by a different name. When the plant absorbs that in its roots, it destroys the systems around it, though this only cripples the plant as they are modular. The survival rate of a crippled plant are not high, and its reproductive chances aren't either.

 

So there you have it. Science! If you have any questions or corrections post them while I try to figure out how you can see the laser from the laser pistol when it's not directly hitting your eye. My theory is that there's a LOT of dust in the air at all times, choking us with its laser-illuminating dustiness.

[Omhctas]

Interesting topic! I will only say to read the book"The Road" by Cormack McCarthy for an alternate view of post apocalyptia! It's not filled with scientific explanation however it offers a SEEMINGLY more realistic view!

[Harabec Weathers]

Nah never read the book, I only know a lot about bombs and radition and stuff like that is because dad was an NBC defense specialist in the US Army. Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical defense for those not familiar with that MOS.

 

I wonder what happened to all the worlds chemical weapons, both lethal and non-lethal.

Stuff like tear gas and stuff. Bu theres also blister agents, stuff like mustard gas or vx gas. Whatever happened to that stuff? Surely a nuclear apocapylse would cause the facilities housing these deadly chemical weapons to faulter and break down over time. Not to mention, who knows what terror could be released by a band or maraders who might stumble on a facility like this and deciede to use them on some hapless travelers ya know.

 

Lol, another thing is why does food immediately restore some lost health. Bullet stuck in you're skull? Have some potatoe crisps, you'll be alright hahahaha.

[LithianLord]

Lol, another thing is why does food immediately restore some lost health. Bullet stuck in you're skull? Have some potatoe crisps, you'll be alright hahahaha.

 

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