Independent New Vegas base mod-Viva NV

[Degby1]

Vault 3 is definitely the most logical. After all it would only require a dead Fiend and blood on the walls removal, plus the water pumped out of the lower level with the makeshift armory. I think Vault 11 would still have some use, although requiring a greater effort. I might even do my own Vault 11 mod as a test to see how it is.

I put Black Mountain on here as a throwing it out there idea, it still has a functioning communications array, even having a squad of 6 BoS soldiers guarding it.

 

I personally activated Helios One in order to get Archimedes 2. A trade agreement with the Van Graffs would be more beneficial with them, so alot is riding on whether Hardin is out of the picture. He wants them dead after all, plus he would gladly accept Archimedes 2 even with its disadvantages and the prospect of cutting off power to the NCR might evne push him over the edge and send a hit squad after you if you refused to work with him.

 

Big Mt and Divide tech in Brotherhood hands would make any group think twice before messing with them, regardless of the BoS' relatively small number. This could allow for new weapon and armor modifications, perks and quests. The possibilites are near limitless.

 

Yeah lets hear these ideas, sounds llke your going in a good direction with this mod.

[devinpatterson]

Sorry for the late response, tweaked my back Sun and it has been pure hell. Can't even sit at my desk for more than 10 minutes....ridiculous :(

 

Anyway on to business. I'm going to bounce my replies over to the main independent NV thread, and you guys should too, since we've got a treasure trove of ideas over there. The base mod (this thread) is a much smaller subset of the main thread. It doesn't have any quests, resource management, kingdom building etc. Essentially it just removes the NCR's & Legions' presence from several locations (hoover, fort, strip etc), battle conditions from Hoover, and pre battle of hoover related dialog. It is the foundation of the independent NV thread, and will be used as square one, but it's scope is much, much more modest.

 

Good discussion and flow of ideas, lets keep it going in the main thread and see what shakes out.

[Devilman1975]

Before I start laying out some of the ideas I want to add in a link for the NCR Emergency Radio which is heard during the final battle at Hoover Dam. Since it relates to events that occur during the final battle depending on game choices that players make I thought it would be best to start the mod with the player putting out fires in various locations or witness the aftermath.

 

Instead of appearing in a room with the ending slide narrator or on the railway track leading to the Emergency Service Railyard (where the final slide places the Courier) I think that the player should start at the Legate's Camp where he/she is approached by Marilyn the Securitron.

 

I'm not sure if this would be the best time to finally make a desicion on wether to stick to the original plan of kicking the NCR out of the Mojave or declare war on the NCR there and then. I know Devin has another option in mind to allow the NCR to remain in the Mojave and keep control of Hoover Dam similar to House's old arrangement with the NCR. I will admit that I'm not too fond of this third option as it defeats the purpose of going for the Independence ending when the player can support the NCR for the same result. But Devin's the lead developer of this project and it's entirely up to him on how it plays out. The NCR war version will probably consist of the player being forced to kill any remaining NCR at the locations mentioned in the NCR Emergency Broadcast. The ideas I'm going to lay out will cover the original NCR withdrawal option.

 

After making introductions with Marilyn, the player will dictate a written letter of withdrawal for Marilyn to print out. This would be the first opportunitity to exclude the original Nevada Desert Rangers from the withdrawal if the player wishes to do so. The player will present the letter to General Oliver if he is still alive or alternatively a low ranking NCR trooper who can pass the letter along. The player can also ask Marilyn to relay a message to Mr New Vegas who will mention that the NCR and Legion were defeated at Hoover Dam in his radio broadcast. Thankfully I found cut audio content of Mr New Vegas relaying this news which should fit in well.

 

After that has been done Marilyn will inform the player of any conflicts that require his/her attention.

 

Novac -

 

Even though there is no mention of Novac in the NCR Emergency Broadcast it is reported to be attacked by the Legion in it's ending slides. The extent of casualities will depend on how the quest Come Fly With Me was completed. If Jason Bright and his followers were killed then the entire population of Novac will be killed by the Legion and the only thing the player can do is kill all Legion at Novac until more Securitrons arrive.

 

If the player helped Jason Bright and improved the rocket ship's navigation then we will see a group of Bright Followers assisting in the evacuation of Novac. The player can assist a small group Bright Followers and Novac defenders against the Legion and buy non combatants time to evacuate to the Repconn Test Site until reinforcements arrive in the form of Securitrons (or NCR troops in a NCR version of the mod).

 

If the player helped Jason but did not improve the rocket's navigation then the player can defend Novac along with a small group of Novac defenders but no Bright Followers against the Legion while the others will presumably escape to the Repconn Test Site. The Bright Followers will arrive weeks later to bolster Novac's defenses.

 

Alternatively if the player sabotaged the rockets then leaked radioactive fuel will contaminate the area. The player will arrive to discover that Novac has become an toxic pitt and the area will be covered with the corpses of Novac settlers and Legion troops that have died from radiation poisoning. Novac will become another area that travellers will avoid just like Searchlight and this should have an negative effect on trade in the Mojave area.

 

Camp McCarran -

 

Camp McCarran is attacked by the Fiends during the second battle at Hoover Dam. How successful they are depends on how many Fiend leaders remain alive. If all Fiend leaders are dead then it would be certain that the NCR repelled the attack leaving little for the player to do at this point.

 

If some Fiend leaders are still alive then the Fiends will overrun McCarran. The player can order Marilyn to have power cut off from Camp McCarran and the monorail. A small group of Fiends may be holed up in the Las Vegas Boulevard Station on the Strip until the player arrives to clear the place out. Clearing out Camp McCarran of Fiends can be a part of a later quest in the campaign against the Fiends in the Outer Vegas area.

 

All Fiend leaders remaining alive will result in the same scenario as above but the only difference is that there will be more Fiends to kill later on in the Outer Vegas campaign.

 

Camp Forlorn Hope -

 

This location's fate largely depends on the quests We Are Legion and Restoring Hope. If the player completed We Are Legion then we will see the Legion overun the camp which result in another quest to kill any remaining Legion.

 

If the quest Restoring Hope was completed then the NCR will defend the camp from the Legion. This would allow for the quest I mentioned earlier where the player can decided the fate of any wounded troops. The player can either grant the combat medics time to treat wounded troopers and allow the Followers of the Apocalypse to treat them until they are well enough to return home or insist that the NCR leave immediately which will likely result in the death of the wounded troops. This will result in postive or negative rep with NCR.

 

I'm not entirely sure what to suggest if players have ignored both of these quests. I assume that both sides will maintain their stalemate but it seems like the Legion are in better shape at Nelson than the NCR are so it might be possible that the Legion attacked Camp Forlorn Hope during Hoover Dam anyway.

 

Camp Golf -

 

The quest Flags Of Our Foul-Ups is tied in to the fate of Camp Golf. If the quest was completed by following either O'Harahan's or Mags advice then the Misfits will repel the Legion attack that is mentioned. When the player arrives the only thing that he/she can do is make the offer for the Nevada Desert Rangers to stay in the Mojave in person. I would suggest putting in a Nevada veteran character who can make a request to have the player tear down the Ranger Unification Monument when the NCR finally leave. The player can either accept or refuse his request.

 

If Flags of Our Foul-Ups was completed using Razz's advice will also result in the Legion being defeated but later on the Misfits will become junkies for their next Psycho hit and start robbing travelers outside Vegas. They will eventually court martialed and shot by firing squad later on.

 

Not completeing the quest or completing it by following Poindexter's advice will result in the Misfits attempting to flee when the Legion attack. The player can assist the remaining rangers in repelling the Legion attack and make the offer to stay in the Mojave to the surviving Nevada Desert Ranger veteran. Incidently the Misfits will be caught by the NCR and hung from the Ranger statue later on.

 

Freeside -

 

Riots in Freeside will occur if the player incited war between the Kings and NCR during G.I Blues. While I'm sure the Securitrons are capable of handling the riots by themselves it should be noted that NCR travelers will avoid Freeside if they valued their safety. This outcome would have a negative effect on tourism in the Strip considering that NCR tourists need to pass through Freeside in order to get to the Strip. If the player wants to NCR tourists to feel safe enough to travel to the Strip then he/she may have to kill the Kings later on if negotiations fail.

 

If things were settled peacefully between the Kings and NCR then no riots happen and the area remains relatively safe for NCR tourists.

 

The Strip -

 

If the player has chosen to ignore the Omertas then Nero and Big Sal will stage a coup on the Strip which would result in the NCR Embassy being bombed. The Securitrons and other Families will attack the Omertas in this scenario. When the player reaches the Strip he will arrive to see the aftermath. I can't see the Omertas surviving against both the families and Securitrons so it would be safe to say that the Omertas will be gone. However the resulting violence will be another negative effect for the Strip. One casino closed and a bad effect on tourism.

 

If Nero and Big Sal were dealt with already in the main game then everything should be okay.

 

The Monorail -

 

If the player has not completed the quest I Put a Spell On You or completed it in the Legion's favor then the monorail will be destroyed. I'm not sure if it would be possible to repair it but it would be an additional cost that the player can do without.

 

After these events have been dealt with then the Courier can finally relax and have a victory party. Clicking on a bottle of champaign would result in a small time skip to the next morning where the player will wake up in the Penthouse suite before having to deal with the various Mojave factions. The vanilla companions should be moved back to their default or new locations at this point in the game and I can safely say that should cover the opening act of the mod.

 

It would be possible that many people will have already completed the vanilla quests in a way that prevents a lot of these unpleasant incidents from occuring leaving them with only a battle in Novac to fight. But at the same time I'm sure this would set help set the stage for the rest of the mod.

[Devilman1975]

Good discussion and flow of ideas, lets keep it going in the main thread and see what shakes out.

 

Sorry I didn't see you post till after I finished typing out the long post there. I'll copy and paste it on the main thread.

[MarchUntoTorment]

I hate to seem negative here, but I have to ask -

 

Has there been any actual progress on this mod?

 

I ask because I've been watching (and, at times, a part of this) for more than a year now, and I still have yet to see any real progress or change - anything physical. It seems that for twelve months, people have been pouring tens of thousands of words of ideas into this, and with not a single thing to show beyond CAGE (which, I understand, was created by another modder and the rights handed over).

 

I really don't mean to be rude, Devin. You're a top guy, and have done some really incredible stuff for this community. But I do have to wonder if anything's ever going to come of this mod, or if we're all just throwing ideas into the wind.

[devinpatterson]

I hate to seem negative here, but I have to ask -

 

Has there been any actual progress on this mod?

 

I ask because I've been watching (and, at times, a part of this) for more than a year now, and I still have yet to see any real progress or change - anything physical.

I'v been more or less on hiatus for a while (especially last semester), so I havn't been working on *any* big projects, for quite a while (just chiming in on some posts, and dabbling in some requests). But have you tried the beta?

 

 

 

Well your posting in the base mod which is pretty modest in scope. It's basicly the following;

Clean up hoover exterior, camp and fort of battle conditions, add occupying npcs (ncr military for ncr ending, securitrons for independent ending)

Clean up hoover's interior

Clean up the strip

Clean up dialog

Add a few, select end game touches (like the BOS baby ED-Es with BOS patrols, PIC;)

 

 

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u404/devinlpatterson/ED-Eampchild_zps511e6579.jpg

 

 

 

So exterior hoover, teh fort and the camp are done (in beta above).

 

The strip, and hoover's interior (neither done) is the same concept (remove ncr personal & add securitrons for independent ending, vice versa for ncr ending). Each could be done in probably 8 hours or less.

 

Re: dialog I have no idea how long it might take. The concept is simple enough though, just a glob for an endgame state added as a condition to the appropriate lines. However tracking down those lines is the tedious part.

 

End game touches are small things like the BOS ED-Es, the BOS occupying Helios (if the appropriate ending) etc. Not a lot of them, but small individual projects. All of the above I can do myself (if need be), and I don't need a whole lot of input for the basics (just a substantial amount of free time).

 

The full mod, will build on this base mod but will have a much wider focus. It will cover things like resource/kingdom management, troops/strategic battles, quests etc. And it's not made to have an endpoint. It would be perpetually in development by design, as new ideas and quests are added. *But* before that can happen, at least the first part of it needs to be story boarded and laid out. For that to happen I do need user input, for new ideas, research, and to counter my own biases.

 

It seems that for twelve months, people have been pouring tens of thousands of words of ideas into this, and with not a single thing to show beyond CAGE (which, I understand, was created by another modder and the rights handed over).

Not sure if your aware of the beta. Chrissy_M_ is good people, but CAGE itself (at least the version I have) is just a few edits to teh end script, it's not used in the beta.

 

I really don't mean to be rude, Devin. You're a top guy, and have done some really incredible stuff for this community. But I do have to wonder if anything's ever going to come of this mod, or if we're all just throwing ideas into the wind.

I can go into my schedule to give you an idea where I'm coming from (juggling work, school, a vicious tech addition, mma, major home renovation, running the backtrails of one of the most beautiful landscapes in teh continental usa etc), but to make it short I don't have lot of free time (and that's not going to change anytime soon), and I do have a lot of projects (sunset, owb expanded, displaying weapons, mech etc etc). And although I'm starting to get up to speed on the modding, I'm not there yet. Even when I do gear up, I'm not going to have a ton of free time to devote to it. But I think one point in my favor, is that I have some range. I may not have anything spectacular in my modding portfolio (although there are a few things I'm proud of), but there is a lot of variety, and I think that translates well in this type of mod, which really requires a wide set modding skills.

 

That being said nothing is wasted in regard to ideas. The discussions were having in the main thread will have value in and of themselves. It's not like they simply evaporate. If for some reason I was blasted from the face of the planet tomorrow, all those discussions would still apply to the next modder that wanted to do the same project.

 

If the mod is near and dear to your heart, the best thing you can do to make it a reality is to *help*. If you can't mod or learn to mod, then you can contribute to the discussion, or note dialog that needs to be X'd.

[MarchUntoTorment]

Thanks for the lengthy reply, Devin! I really appreciate all the work you've put into this.

 

First and foremost, no, I wasn't aware of the beta (I don't quite know how I missed it, either). When was the last beta uploaded, might I ask?

 

I've actually developed some reasonable skill with dialogue editing (thanks to work on a Companion mod), and if I can figure out how to handle dialogue for the endgame state (might need some help writing a custom script), I can almost certainly go on a dialogue-culling spree sometime (if I have time - I'm in my final year of school at the minute, so obviously, I don't have a heap of time). And I perfectly understand that you're busy :)

 

Anyway, when I find the time, I'm happy to go on the dialogue-culling duty for a while - at least for the NCR faction (for whom it's the biggest issue). That's the most significant issue, after the cleanup, that we need to handle - once that's done, we've more or less got the base mod finished, and we can start working on extra content.

[devinpatterson]

I've actually developed some reasonable skill with dialogue editing (thanks to work on a Companion mod), and if I can figure out how to handle dialogue for the endgame state (might need some help writing a custom script)

Won't need a custom script, you'll use an additional condition (a glob, that is flipped at the end game, say [endGameGlob != 0] along any questionable dialog. Then it won't be affected prior to the 2nd battle of hoover dam, but will after.

[MarchUntoTorment]

Might I ask what a 'glob' is? I daresay I'm unfamiliar with the terminology.

[devinpatterson]

Might I ask what a 'glob' is? I daresay I'm unfamiliar with the terminology.

It's a global variable. If lots of scripts use a variable, say several dialog scripts (aka quest scripts), I think it's easier to use a global instead of a script variable.

 

Also I need any suggestions on restrictions (on the player) that need to be removed. I already took out the restriction on the elevator and followers in the penthouse, and I'll be tackling the casino's removal of your personal weapons, when I do the strip. But I suspect there are some other situations in new vegas that need to be altered when your top dog.