Dawn of Steel-The Rise of the Mojave Brotherhood

[Degby1]

The re-texturing is an easy process. Just Control + U and then adjust the levels to match the Armor texture. Are you using Gimp?

 

I didnt suggest that everyone would have cybernetic limbs, It may have come across like that. I'd imagine that the predominate wounded areas would be arms, legs, hands etc. I'd quite like to see one with a facial wound, with a face plate where a stray round skimmed someones face but still did enough damage to require reconstructive surgery.

[devinpatterson]

The re-texturing is an easy process. Just Control + U and then adjust the levels to match the Armor texture. Are you using Gimp?

As I expressed in my previous post I'm familiar with re-texturing. You can see several I'v done in my profile. For example a re-texture of a helmet for the stealth suit with 189 endorsements, a re-texture of of a Ranger AMR with a 122 endorsements, etc. It is one of the most basic skill sets used in fallout. I use gimp and have a median level of proficiency with it. There are far more techniques available in re-texturing than simply adjusting the levels in a dds.

 

 

I'd imagine that the predominate wounded areas would be arms, legs, hands etc. I'd quite like to see one with a facial wound, with a face plate where a stray round skimmed someones face but still did enough damage to require reconstructive surgery.

Yep, that is the essentials/basics of the idea as I pitched it previously.

[Degby1]

Ah Ok, I wasnt aware of any retexturing work you have done previously. I was refering to making the colours match, a grunge brush set to colour burn on low opactiy would give that cybernetic arm a nice "weathered" look.

Would these limbs be new or used looking?

 

Depening on the extent of the damage a half face plate, maybe blending the head part of the "Terminator" from Marts Mutant Mod would make a BoS soldier look like one scary m**********r.

Or a soldier with a nasty looking scar running down his or her face held together with metallic staples.

[devinpatterson]

Oh also in regard to the DLCs and technology/research, I have a few assets from other mods that would look good in the scribes laboratories. Here are some prototype valence accelerators from a mod I'm tinkering with (Old World Blues Expanded), pic;

 

 

 

http://static-8.nexusmods.com/15/mods/130/images/46207-2-1336969143.jpg

 

 

 

A few could be on the scribes desk as research projects along with some other stuff I put together in that mod. It could be the start of a research quest or simply a little atmosphere as a callback to teh couriers adventures in OWB.

 

The same for DM with some cloud kiss grenades. This is a quick C&P of the concept;

 

 

We can try other nifs but they probably aren't going to look decent. Luckily there is another option via a particle effect. Here is one I attached to a weapon quite a while back. Something like it, but on a larger scale and crimson might just do the trick. Video;

 

http://youtu.be/UAoX5H8PO7o

 

If we have this volume of smoke coming off the grenade and pair it with a toxic cloud, it just might do the trick. Here is a pic of the smallest toxic cloud 256. Pic;

 

 

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u404/devinlpatterson/FONV%20Mods-works%20in%20progress/ScreenShot10_zps114e6a74.jpg

 

 

 

 

Nothing should be for free (at a minimum a research quest to teh DLC), but it's not even necessary to have new weapons or items.......a possibility, as we've discussed, but not a requirement. Rather, I'd like to express that the BOS is one of teh most technology advanced factions and one way to do that is to have some interesting and progressive research occurring in the scribes labs. It's even better when the research ties into the couriers past, but the key point is to show some real science skillz in the BOS. An atmosphere and eye candy that really drives home one of their strongest assets.

[Degby1]

I like those clouds bombs, ironic that Elijah was going to bomb the Mojave with toxic gas using Repconn Rockets as a delivery system.

The Scribes could back engineer Elijahs schematics at the Big Mt to create a whole manner of guns and armor.

 

The quests could be made extensive or small dependent on the pay off in terms of tech. A Saturnite Allow Cybernetic Limb, a Holo-Grenade, Holo Carbine, and a whole manner of upgrades to existing weapons could come from this. There should be plenty of creative freedom in this, I see that the OWB Expanded has a military cyber dog with a FIDO strapped to its back. Not a bad idea that !

[blaze1514]

 

 

1. The Fort: I think that among the Brotherhood's first actions would be to seize the Fort, both because of its utility and because of howextraordinarily dangerous it could be in the hands of any other faction. As time went on, I think they'd try to boot it up and mass-produce the Securitrons, which they'd repaint in Brotherhood colours and use as support for their Paladins. (In which case, can we get a Brotherhood retexture for the Securitrons up in here? I imagine them having a new face, too - maybe something akin to a knight's helmet).

I like the idea of having gray Security with panted BOS symbols. They could also help the brotherhood with general policing if the player goes all the way with them. This is of course only if the player trust them enough to risk letting them near his personal army

 

 

 

 

2. The Strip: I've got mixed feelings here. The Brotherhood would likely secure it for their own ends, but I'm kinda unsure as to what would happen next - while militaristic, I don't think they'd see fit to completely shut it down. I frankly suspect they'd leave the Courier to run it. Oh, and they'd completely loot the Lucky 38 of anything technological.

I believe it would be similar to this. Maybe they would leave it up to the player to talk to the families about forming a real police force. I always hope that this mod would have a certain level of customization and management to it...

-Default (no price, but could cause problems) use securitrons for basic protection like they are in the game.

-First option (least expensive): take left over NCR fatigues and have them died, ad an armband or two..... you have yourself a police force

-Second (moderately expensive): Gain a stock of combat armor (by buying it, or taking it). Then recolor them, maybe add the words "Strip Security" in stenciled letters on the plate located on the upper back.

-Third (most expensive/troublesome) Try to steal a shipment of Veteran NCR Ranger armor, recolor and re-purpose it.

 

With them simultaneously trying to form a more organized militia force (this force would probably be what eventually is protecting most settlements in the Mohave). Again this is only if the player takes it that far with them, or if the mod itself has BOS strip interaction as a real possibility. It could be very likely that this wouldn't be something that they do on their own (going by their backwards nature), but as an agreement with the courier. Something like, "I will grant you access to the strip and all the tech in the dam/L38 and you help form a human militia." I can also see these militia members having some form of altered outfits. Maybe a mix of salvaged NCR plate armor and leather, recolored to show a relation to the BOS. Maybe called the "Steel Guardsmen" or something, that would be in keeping with the BOS "mid-evil" theme.

 

 

 

 

3. The Dam: The Brotherhood would definitely immediately re-occupy the Dam, and probably park a significant military force there to boot. With their technology, I suspect they'd have it up-and-running pretty quickly. They'd also probably get some of the other gear there running, too

I think its almost unanimous consensus that the BOS number less than 200 in the Mohave at this point. I would see it like this...

First The Courier would have to give them permission to go in, seeing as how he has the securitron army. I would use this as a story related bargaining chip, use it to FORCE them to help you, instead of just continuing to look out for themselves. This would be use full if the player isn't a full member yet.

now here is what I always figured would happen in the end (also I have had long talks about this, I think earlier in this thread)

-For every major town/settlement (Novac, Prim, Goodsprings, Freeside) they would need 12 paladins, or 8 with any number of militia forces

-12= two small squads, 8= two large fire teams with militia support

-They would have some sort of temporary station set up in these areas (probably a small outpost that look like Sub-Offices or BOS Outposts)

-That is 32-48 men, lets round that to 50

-Then they will want to have a force in the strip, then an extra squad for the L38, (since they would never let just any random savage wastlander get near that tech) I would bet about 12 Paladins and at least 4 scribes, possibly 2 knights. that 18 people (rounding to 20).

-They would have at least 2 squads paroling trade routs most likely broken up into individual fire teams. (16 or so)

-Depending on certain things, they may have small squads guarding the Freeside Fort, and the clinic. (12 or so)

-They would have at least 50 bodies holding the bunker safe. (or 15-20 or so in the bunker and 30-35 in HELIOS)

-That's is about 150 men, out of less than 200, their would probably be 16 or so doing random recon and operations, 4 or so reserved for possible quest related things, leaving less than 30 or so to staff the dam.

With the small number of BOS members left, you cannot possibly have a sizable force anywhere. Of curse they could boost with militia forces, however I do not think that was what you were thinking.

-Any extra men that were rounded off could be sent here, but that would only be about 10-15 extra bodies

 

 

 

4. HELIOS One: They lost it once, they're not doing it again. I suspect that they'd return their base of operations to here, and probably heavily-fortify it this time - I kinda have this image of them turning HELIOS into their 'castle' of sorts, which I can expand more on later. I think it would be up to the player whether to hand over Euclid's C-Finder to them; however, if the player reveals that they have it, they'd either need to hand it over or the Brotherhood would open fire.

Not so fast, I would think that they would keep using the bunker for their "HQ", plus it would be smarter on the players part to not let them have it (plus they don't really want it anymore, they have a sort of animosity to it now it seems). It would be better used as a bargaining chip with one of the major factions.

Maybe... The NCR tries to use economic sanctions, or ban travail to the strip... you could offer them back Helios as incentive to stay in economic relations with your new order. If this mod has a heavy pricing aspect (as I imagine it would), having this choice could be a way to boost your treasury (for things like the police customization that i mentioned earlier). Also toss in there a requirement to have "Fantastic" in charge again, that way you will be dealing with an idiot, not a smart scientist that may or may not figure out the about Orion project.

 

However, it could go well the other way as will... having them move to HELIOS (or at least staffing and securing it) could be a connection to the outside. And for voicing purposes, it could be where the modded NPC's with mod related dialogue are, (leaving the elder and other vanilla voiced BOS NPC's in the bunker). You can also do something like a small area of HELIOS is a player base.... the upper floor could be the "Operational center" for this mod's purposes.

 

 

 

 

5. Nellis AFB: This is where things get interesting. They're not too positively-inclined towards the Boomers, I should think, since they lost two Paladins to artillery fire; I think it'd be up to the player to smooth things over, or else pick a side. If the player sided with the Brotherhood, they'd probably be asked to sneak into Nellis, then sabotage the Boomer's guns, after which the Brotherhood would launch a raid on the base. After the raid, heavy artillery would likely appear at other Brotherhood positions around the place.

Actually, It would be in the players best interest to keep relations smooth, just in case the Brotherhood betray the player, its a good idea to have a back up sanctuary. Plus if he keeps good relationship with the boomers, they could end up as the players own personal military force.

 

 

 

6. Brotherhood - Internal Culture: I think that the Brotherhood's culture would, out of necessity, evolve under the Courier's influence - becoming more accepting of the outside world, at the very least. I think that with a high enough Speech or Science skill, the Courier could influence them into giving away technology to help with agriculture, robotics, etc. Maybe, with a 100 Speech/Science skill, the Courier could even convince them to start taking in external volunteers, significantly increasing the number of Brotherhood personnel in the Mojave? It's clear that McNamara's thinking is already going that way, as of the end of the game.

I would go this route, however I wouldn't expect it to be a full on acceptance of the help they are giving to the people, I could see lots of internal strife because of the sudden change in the status-quo. However, I can see them training militia in basic protection tactics, equipping them with supplies they consider to be sub par (guns and non-power armor basically). Sort of how the Lions chapter is doing in the end of F3. Just make the paladins scoff more at the locals in the Mohave, since they are still very closed minded.

 

 

 

 

'Knights of HELIOS'. A group of Brotherhood warriors who didn't make it to Hidden Valley in time, and instead, retreated to an outside location. Without the gear to fully maintain their equipment, they mounted tabards over their armour to help keep out the Mojave sands, and took up advanced but semi-improvised melee weapons of all sorts in place of their energy weapons (since they'd've been running low on ammunition anyway). Ever since, they've been on the run from the NCR - until the NCR suddenly retreated from the region following the Battle of Hoover Dam, and they headed home, to find that the lockdown had finally ended.

I like this well thought out idea. However... what if they were more like the outcasts in F3? Maybe they don't totally want to merge back into the main force anymore, seeing as they were basically left out to dry. Leaving them to be added to your stack of personal resources. I also wouldn't make them ALL melee focused, at least have one or two that still used ranged weapons.

Edited February 25, 2015 by blaze1514

[maybenexttime]

The name sounds bad ass got to admit "Dawn of Steel". Best wishes to this project. I am too tied up with the Frontier, working on our website at the moment but I like how the story/setting is shaping up. I hope to see this work.

[devinpatterson]

would give that cybernetic arm a nice "weathered" look.

Would these limbs be new or used looking?

It's been five years since the battle (operation sunburst) so I would imagine int would be as weathered as any other equipment.

 

Depening on the extent of the damage a half face plate, maybe blending the head part of the "Terminator" from Marts Mutant Mod would make a BoS soldier look like one scary m**********r.

Or a soldier with a nasty looking scar running down his or her face held together with metallic staples.

For cybernetic limbs we will probably have custom races, which have the advantage of custom meshes/textures too.

 

The Scribes could back engineer Elijahs schematics at the Big Mt to create a whole manner of guns and armor.

Sorry not quite catching that, could you elaborate?

 

I see that the OWB Expanded has a military cyber dog with a FIDO strapped to its back. Not a bad idea that !

unfortunately there's no attack loop (ie automatic fire animation) for the cyberdogs so until one is made Rex and his buddy FIDO won't be able to be a team.

 

I like the idea of having gray Security with panted BOS symbols. They could also help the brotherhood with general policing if the player goes all the way with them. This is of course only if the player trust them enough to risk letting them near his personal army

We had a similar dicussion in the Viva NV, NCR version. One contributor wanted a ranger face. What I did in that situation was make both. I prefer BOS colors and a BOS symbol on the screen too, but I may make an optional file with a knights face.

 

I believe it would be similar to this. Maybe they would leave it up to the player to talk to the families about forming a real police force. I always hope that this mod would have a certain level of customization and management to it...

So this is my post in regard to the original comment;

 

 

Yeah I think the BOS would be fairly perplexed about what to do with it. So in the interest of the game, workload etc I suspect we'll leave it mostly the same (some BOS patrolling instead of NCR military police). That should create some really, really interesting tension with the strip families.

 

Regarding the Lucky 38, I think some of the most important equipment can't really be stripped per se. The basement reactor and lucky 38 mainframe are two of the most valuable systems and I don't think they can easily be detached or moved, nor should they. The mainframe in particular is essential for the securitron wireless network, and the reactor (once started) will provide energy independence for NV (no need to rely on Hoover any more). So I suspect the BOS will instead occupy the 38 (or at the *very least* the penthouse and basement). The penthouse could be the BOS central command for the city (the mainframe is there to monitor anything the securitrons see). The presidential suite can be for the player and his/her (bos) retainers as well as normal followers. I'm guessing the cocktail lounge would serve the same function as personnel quarters if they drag some bunks up there.

 

The option to open the lucky 38 to the public can probably be accomplished due to teh players influence, but I'm sure the BOS would greatly prefer to keep it closed. It's no fun having a spy sneak a suitcase nuke into your command operations.

 

 

But long story short, I believe most of the strip will be left to the player, however there has to be a sizable BOS garrison in the lucky 38 to protect and utilize the lucky38 mainframe and reactor. That would also imply some BOS members around the strip to secure the immediate area, and in effect performing the same function as the NCR military police did. It's possible it could be left up to the securitrons, but I think it's very unlikely the BOS would trust their personal safety and the garrison to just bots. compromising the lucky38 mainframe means compromising the securitron army.....too risky to leave that in the hands of AIs (IMHO).

 

Ideally I'm sure the BOS would prefer to keep the whole strip locked down. It would prevent a sniper in a room at the ultralux, terrorists setting up an IED or suitcase nuke and a myrid of other safety concerns. But New Vegas is the jewel of the Mojave, and with that in mind and the players influence, I think we can assume that other than those two aspects (lucky38 & MPs) the strip will stay pretty much the same as the independent version (with the same possibilities of resource, troop and population management).

 

-Default (no price, but could cause problems) use securitrons for basic protection like they are in the game.

........

-Third (most expensive/troublesome) Try to steal a shipment of Veteran NCR Ranger armor, recolor and re-purpose it.

This is really more suited to the independent thread since it focuses more on resource/troop/population management, whereas this thread mostly just focuses on BOS-centric topics.

 

But just so your aware, the vetern ranger armor isn't made by the NCR, it's pre-war, so there isn't new product being produced and shipped from the core region. Mostly the veteran armor is on the back of ranger vets and I suspect treated more like personal gear, rather than common military assets shipped through supply lines in the NCR. The NCR does make patrol armor in it's core region military armories, but the DT is lower than the pre-war riot armor.

 

Quick tangent; While traditionally shown as LA riot gear armor I believe ranger vet armor could include any of the riot gear type armors like the LA, the LR armors and any military regiment or division that required serious protection but was unsuited to power armor (ie any mobile or light infantry, especially air assault) or had not been equipped with the military's newest super armor. An example would be the 101 airborne or army rangers, in which mobility is a important consideration. All of these would be scavenged (or inherited) from pre-war locations by the original desert rangers and NCR.

 

With them simultaneously trying to form a more organized militia force (this force would probably be what eventually is protecting most settlements in the Mohave). Again this is only if the player takes it that far with them, or if the mod itself has BOS strip interaction as a real possibility. It could be very likely that this wouldn't be something that they do on their own (going by their backwards nature), but as an agreement with the courier.

While teh BOS would be very helpful in training a militia or a military, initially I think that is very unlikely. At the onset they will focus on fortifying and amassing their power. The BOS's short term objectives won't prioritize Mojave towns or settlers. For some time to come, the job of troop/militia building (if it draws from wastelanders), as well as keeping the peace, managing resources like consumables and essentially dealing with a multitude of challenges in NV, will be on the couriers shoulders......and I'll leave that for the other thread.

 

With McNamara as elder, forward thinking members like Veronica and the influence of the Courier, I do believe the Mojave BOS will eventually reach out and take a much more active role in the NV area. I envision a future brotherhood helping with medical, farming, sanitation, and other technologies, as well as training recruits, keeping the order and patrolling large areas of the gameworld. It will, however, take time to overcome the conservative/traditional nature of the members and doctrine of the organization, to turn at least *some* of their focus outward. And even after that happens, the core of the brotherhood will still be somewhat cloistered and elitist, with members like Veronica being a sort of envoy or stepping stone from her traditional brothers to the world at large. Her and others like her, will be a new public face of the brotherhood.

 

In a way the above is a short synopsis of this whole thread/mod. But we should probably give at least a little bit of attention to other alternative paths. For example the player may want to usurp the elder and use the combined might of the brotherhood and securitron army to lay waste to any and all that defy him/her. By utilizing their ideology of controlling technology and elitism to subvert them to teh players flag and utilizing the brotherhood's military/technological prowess, the BOS could be a powerful asset to a conquering securitron army.

[Degby1]

To elaborate on my comment, I mean you could give Elijah's lost schematics to the Scribes stationed at Big Mountain, who could then produce new pieces of armor and weapons, albeit in limited quantities. Or, they could provide upgrades to existing equipment, based upon the schematics that are given to them.

[blaze1514]

 

I believe it would be similar to this. Maybe they would leave it up to the player to talk to the families about forming a real police force. I always hope that this mod would have a certain level of customization and management to it...

So this is my post in regard to the original comment;

Yeah I think the BOS would be fairly perplexed about what to do with it. So in the interest of the game, workload etc I suspect we'll leave it mostly the same (some BOS patrolling instead of NCR military police). That should create some really, really interesting tension with the strip families.

Regarding the Lucky 38, I think some of the most important equipment can't really be stripped per se. The basement reactor and lucky 38 mainframe are two of the most valuable systems and I don't think they can easily be detached or moved, nor should they. The mainframe in particular is essential for the securitron wireless network, and the reactor (once started) will provide energy independence for NV (no need to rely on Hoover any more). So I suspect the BOS will instead occupy the 38 (or at the *very least* the penthouse and basement). The penthouse could be the BOS central command for the city (the mainframe is there to monitor anything the securitrons see). The presidential suite can be for the player and his/her (bos) retainers as well as normal followers. I'm guessing the cocktail lounge would serve the same function as personnel quarters if they drag some bunks up there.

The option to open the lucky 38 to the public can probably be accomplished due to teh players influence, but I'm sure the BOS would greatly prefer to keep it closed. It's no fun having a spy sneak a suitcase nuke into your command operations.

But long story short, I believe most of the strip will be left to the player, however there has to be a sizable BOS garrison in the lucky 38 to protect and utilize the lucky38 mainframe and reactor. That would also imply some BOS members around the strip to secure the immediate area, and in effect performing the same function as the NCR military police did. It's possible it could be left up to the securitrons, but I think it's very unlikely the BOS would trust their personal safety and the garrison to just bots. compromising the lucky38 mainframe means compromising the securitron army.....too risky to leave that in the hands of AIs (IMHO).

Ideally I'm sure the BOS would prefer to keep the whole strip locked down. It would prevent a sniper in a room at the ultralux, terrorists setting up an IED or suitcase nuke and a myrid of other safety concerns. But New Vegas is the jewel of the Mojave, and with that in mind and the players influence, I think we can assume that other than those two aspects (lucky38 & MPs) the strip will stay pretty much the same as the independent version (with the same possibilities of resource, troop and population management).

That still leaves the problem of the lack of manpower. I would have always suspected The Courier would try to get them to help protect the outer settlements. Are you planning on them not doing that, leaving the extra manpower outlined in the chart (the 32-48 men) to defend the settlements?

My chart:

Now here is what I always figured would happen in the end (also I have had long talks about this, I think earlier in this thread)

-For every major town/settlement (Novac, Prim, Goodsprings, Freeside) they would need 12 paladins, or 8 with any number of militia forces

-12= two small squads, 8= two large fire teams with militia support

-They would have some sort of temporary station set up in these areas (probably a small outpost that look like Sub-Offices or BOS Outposts)

-That is 32-48 men, lets round that to 50

-Then they will want to have a force in the strip, then an extra squad for the L38, (since they would never let just any random savage wastlander get near that tech) I would bet about 12 Paladins and at least 4 scribes, possibly 2 knights. that 18 people (rounding to 20).

-They would have at least 2 squads paroling trade routs most likely broken up into individual fire teams. (16 or so)

-Depending on certain things, they may have small squads guarding the Freeside Fort, and the clinic. (12 or so)

-They would have at least 50 bodies holding the bunker safe. (or 15-20 or so in the bunker and 30-35 in HELIOS)

-That's is about 150 men, out of less than 200, their would probably be 16 or so doing random recon and operations, 4 or so reserved for possible quest related things, leaving less than 30 or so to staff the dam.

With the small number of BOS members left, you cannot possibly have a sizable force anywhere. Of curse they could boost with militia forces, however I do not think that was what you were thinking.

-Any extra men that were rounded off could be sent to the dam or strip, but that would only be about 10-15 extra bodies

 

 

With them simultaneously trying to form a more organized militia force (this force would probably be what eventually is protecting most settlements in the Mohave). Again this is only if the player takes it that far with them, or if the mod itself has BOS strip interaction as a real possibility. It could be very likely that this wouldn't be something that they do on their own (going by their backwards nature), but as an agreement with the courier.

While teh BOS would be very helpful in training a militia or a military, initially I think that is very unlikely. At the onset they will focus on fortifying and amassing their power. The BOS's short term objectives won't prioritize Mojave towns or settlers. For some time to come, the job of troop/militia building (if it draws from wastelanders), as well as keeping the peace, managing resources like consumables and essentially dealing with a multitude of challenges in NV, will be on the couriers shoulders......and I'll leave that for the other thread.

With McNamara as elder, forward thinking members like Veronica and the influence of the Courier, I do believe the Mojave BOS will eventually reach out and take a much more active role in the NV area. I envision a future brotherhood helping with medical, farming, sanitation, and other technologies, as well as training recruits, keeping the order and patrolling large areas of the gameworld. It will, however, take time to overcome the conservative/traditional nature of the members and doctrine of the organization, to turn at least *some* of their focus outward. And even after that happens, the core of the brotherhood will still be somewhat cloistered and elitist, with members like Veronica being a sort of envoy or stepping stone from her traditional brothers to the world at large. Her and others like her, will be a new public face of the brotherhood.

In a way the above is a short synopsis of this whole thread/mod. But we should probably give at least a little bit of attention to other alternative paths. For example the player may want to usurp the elder and use the combined might of the brotherhood and securitron army to lay waste to any and all that defy him/her. By utilizing their ideology of controlling technology and elitism to subvert them to teh players flag and utilizing the brotherhood's military/technological prowess, the BOS could be a powerful asset to a conquering securitron army.

 

Right, I get this. I just envisioned it going faster than what it seems you are. Remember how fast the Boomers started adjusting, that was my expectation. That said, I was expecting something on training new protection forces in this mod somewhere (most-likely near the end of it).