Dawn of Steel-The Rise of the Mojave Brotherhood

[devinpatterson]

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.

IMHO I don't believe scribes should be stationed at OWB. Essentially it's about the setting and atmsophere we're tying to project with the DLC. I'd like OWB to be a place of mystery, with danger and bizare weirdness around every corner.....even after the mod is done. I don't want to give the impression that once it's finished, personal can move in and set up routine operations. That really cheapens the DLC. This should be a location taht the courier can traverse, but no land for lesser men/women.

[devinpatterson]

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.....

 

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 .....

I picked out these two quotes from you, to highlight a distinction in this mod versus the independent. This mod only works *well* if the player is not only already a member of the BOS, but has really "bought into" the faction itself. There has to be a justification or explanation for that character's motivation, because the courier is giving up a lot of personal power to better the brotherhood as a whole. Not to belabor the point, but in this mod, the courier sees great promise in the Mojave BOS, a potential that is worth trading a small but powerful empire for.

 

This variant of the Viva NV mod had to branch off of the independent simply because of the end game states (factions supported) we are stuck with. This mod would have tied together much better if the player could have supported the BOS faction from the beginning with the intent to acquire the dam and NV for the brotherhood (just as the courier could for the NCR, Legion and House). In that case the player's motivation would have been more legitimate and straight forward. They would have had support from the BOS, fellowship of the faction NPCs, and an identification with them, resulting in loyalty to the brotherhood. Going back and inserting a main quest line that includes options for supporting the BOS's acquisition of Hoover would be ideal, but is a big workload and doesn't do anything for the players that have already finished the second battle of hoover (and at this stage that's probably the majority of FONV nexus members).

 

From tidbits I'v seen here and there, I believe that such an option may have existed very early in the development cycle. But for whatever reason, whether because of lore (it's the declining years of the BOS), streamlining the plot or whatever, it didn't pan out that way.

 

So, we have a problem and a less than satisfying/convincing solution. The courier gives up a lot to support an ideological belief in teh Mojave Chapter. Until or unless we can come up with something more substantial, that's the weak foundation this mod will be built on.

 

Long story short, once the player goes all in, it's not a question of whether he'll let the BOS have Helious one, Hoover or other locations, it's *assumed as a default* (with possible exceptions when the courier has a special case, like the lucky 38 or the strip). I can't say the scales balance in regard to power, for giving up so much. However you have to look at it as the courier now doing what is best for the faction, not necessarily for him/herself. It would be the same for the House ending, where your second in command but still behoved to Robert, or the NCR ending where your behoved to the republic, etc.

 

In return for following the BOS path, you become second only to the Elder, become fully integrated into the faction as a hero, preserve the chapter's fate, etc. But it's at the cost of the freedom and power you'd have with the independent ending.

 

I wanted to drive home this concept, because it will help you to better understand the cornerstone of this mod. The posts above show me that your thinking in the frame of mind of the indpendent ending with a BOS friendly outlook. Nothing wrong with that, it fits well in the independent thread, but it's a different line of thought from this mod. I'll bump some of your posts over to teh other thread, where we can also explore a independent, but BOS friendly ending (just as we have a independent but friendly NCR ending).

[devinpatterson]

Now this brings the point up, do you think that there would be both a Strip Police Force and an Wasteland Protection militia as separate entities? If you do, do you expect The Courier to set them both up?

Repeat of the response I gave for the independent ending;

 

 

I believe that most countries/nations tend to have a police force (civilian) and a military force, but there is room for many variations in between. On one hand you have the securitrons which are one of the toughest bots, but realistically won't have the capability to deal with some of the more subtle crime. Certainly they won't be as insightful as a officer of the law with some experience, who's been around the block. But the concept of human police backed up by Securitron heavy guns may not be a bad combo for the strip. It's used to keep the peace prior to teh 2nd battle of hoover dam via NCR MPs and the bots.

 

Another aspect you could follow would be the old west and how law was administered on the frontier, the original rangers (and sheriffs). May fit well in the Mojave.

 

I think for the army you'll also need a mixed force. It's very unlikely that a milita is going to be able to hold it's own against hardened legion forces, unless you'v gathered some exceptional individuals. The legion is simply too well trained in guerrilla warfare, raiding, terrorism, torture, hand to hand combat etc for green troops to face on an equal footing. But with the bots to reinforce them, a militia might be a viable force.

 

 

 

Militia raising in the BOS ending is on the shoulders of the courier (or perhaps could be partially delegated to a trusted and capable henchman/npc), as the BOS will not be focusing on it initially. They will probably leave the courier to attend to not just that aspect, but many others in regard to the strip and the surrounding NV areas (like freeside). They (BOS) will however, immediately begin setting up some patrols and garrisons in strategic locations and routes, and that can help to reinforce and protect areas.

[devinpatterson]

OK so I rigged some BOS power armor to the ghost skeleton. Like most things power armor related, the pauldrons pretty much fought me tooth and nail. The ghost skeleton definitely has RPauldron & LPauldron but I couldn't get them to export regardless of how I tweaked teh vertex groups, however I'm sure it's do-able. So I ended up rigging them to teh upper arm, but it seems to have worked out OK. Here is a video going through the animations, Vid;

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIGW_5TXL_8&feature=youtu.be

 

 

 

There's still some details to work out, but they are fairly minor;

• I'll put together a corroded texture (with a decal) and a glowmap to give the same green glow to teh visor that ghost people have on their eyes.
• Swap out body part data, maybe make a custom one based on the power armor, but green meatcaps and gore.
• Change the script, in regard to dismemberment death.
• Optionally some of the armor pieces could be damaged with green gore showing through the breeches.

As per the previous post we're talking a small squadron, especially if they are re-spawners.

 

We don't have any firearm animations that I'm aware of with the ghost people, which leaves us with a couple of choices;

1. The ghost people skeleton looks very close the human one, so we could probably substitute some human KFs but then they won't look like ghost people movements.

 

2. We could just use melee weapons that are already supported by the existing ghost animations. I think this could be interesting because it could tie into the story in a few different ways. A. we could assume the ghost people aren't the most cerebral individuals around and can't quite figure out anything beyond a firebomb or spear. They'r never seen sporting any of the firearms in Dead Money. And B. the BOS sends out a squad based on the *courier's knowledge* of the Sierra Madre, and as such (being aware of the need for dismemberment) focused on a melee loadout to deal with the ghosts. Maybe some specialized weapons like a plasma cutter (looks like a thermic lance but higher temps, and plasma effect) or other items that will fit with the spear animations.

 

I know we have the spear, and thermic lance/plasma cutter (without continuous damage) might fit that animation (I'v never used one so I'm not sure). We also have the bear trap fist animation, that would fit well with the industrial hand (the power gauntlet with the spinning blade). But we could also fudge it a bit and have some other power gauntlets, like the ballistic fist. Even though it's not a bladed weapon the shotgun shell could conceivably dismember. And we have the bomb throwing animation for grenades. I could make up a new model that would just be a Grenade bouquet. The new bos ghost people are smart enough to fashion one (just tie or tape them together), but in this case they could also be a plasma grenade bouquet.

 

With power armor (DT 25+), powerful melee/thrown weapons and near invulnerability (re-spawners), I believe a squad of a half dozen or more would even give a high level courier a challenge.

 

Plot elements;

*I'd assume the squad was sent without the couriers knowledge (and probably the Elder's) perhaps by Hardin. That's a bit of a stretch but we need a villain.

*The squad that goes out should be known by the player adn the player should have had a chance to have some interaction with them (make a human connection) before they are lost.

*The objective is pretty obvious, much like with Elijah, the biggest draw are the holograms.

*One or two members of the squad (opposite sex of the courier) should still be alive and not yet transformed into ghost people, for a rescue mission element.

*This involves a new location in DM, alluded to by everyone's favorite scuz bucket Dean, the underground service routes and sewers of the Sierra Madre Villa, where ghost people are more prolific.

*The last contact was via a frantic radio transmission, so some voice work would be very handy.

*Christina may be involved in the mission.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of more angles, but that's a very rough sketch. This mod could also sort of be a subtext to the courier sharing his knowledge (and thus responsibility) with the BOS and unintended consequences.

[Degby1]

Here's a conceptual design I did for a set of Recon Armor. Its just a retexture but I think it would provide better camouflage in the Mojave than the standard Recon Armor does. Camo Armor

[Degby1]

I like that Ghost Paladin btw. Yeah it would make sense if there were survivors who you could bring back to the Mojave, these are trained soldiers after all with energy weapons, should be able to handle a Ghost person or two. I think the mission could shape up into something epic if delivered correctly.

 

With The Courier there experienced in Holograms and the BoS being tech experts they could definitely weaponize them to their own advantage. I think it's in the mod "More Perks" that you can learn how to craft holograms for your own bidding. There are also 3 types, decoy, attack, but I can't remember what the third type did.

 

Holo-Mines and Grenades seem the most plausible, unless theres a Mark 2 Holorifle in the works.

 

As for villans, how about the squad leader who took the group to the Sierra Madre in the first place. A Paladin intercepted Elijahs distress call locked in the Vault, went rogue and took his/her squad with them to either break him out or look for treasure themselves, against the orders of the BoS.

Then whatever survivors you bring back get locked up in a stockade and court martialed. Or you let them go (exhiled), or have them pardoned. Then this adds a new dynamic after the events of Sierra Madre revisited as the survivors could break out, serve their time, try and kill you (if exhiled) or becomes a new companion.

Just throwing these ideas out there.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Narmz

[devinpatterson]

Here's a conceptual design I did for a set of Recon Armor. Its just a retexture but I think it would provide better camouflage in the Mojave than the standard Recon Armor does. Camo Armor

Their primary purpose is under armor for the T-45D, so most of the suits in service wouldn't need it. But considering their scouts use them, it seems like camo should be a no brainer. You could also ask the same question in regard to the power armor itself. Seems like some desert camo on the T-45D or T-51B would be handy (just like the desert ranger armor). Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to do a re-texture of them too, at least for the knights and paladins that are out on patrol.

 

 

As for villans, how about the squad leader who took the group to the Sierra Madre in the first place. A Paladin intercepted Elijahs distress call locked in the Vault, went rogue and took his/her squad with them to either break him out or look for treasure themselves, against the orders of the BoS.

Well we need to keep in mind that Elijah is dead in some player's games, and trapped in others.

 

This is kind of a tangent, but.....I think it's probably pretty unlikely anyone but Elijah or someone of his level of genius could figure out a way to transmit from the vault. But if he could (maybe using teh architectural steel structural members of the vault as a giant antenna) it would be a weird mod to hear his ramblings on a radio station. Imagine what he would talk about. Sometimes he'd rage against the NCR, or even the BOS. Other times he might ramble nostalgically about his protegee Veronica. Other nights he might recount his adventures in OWB, DM and other locations. But it could be anything from theories about politics to physics. He's already on the borderline, so some broadcasts might be lucid whereas others could show his mental decline, as madness from isolation begins to slowly affect him. It could be a interesting character study of someone who is equal parts genius and madman, slowly unraveling. A dark but potentially fascinating mod if there was someone available that could do his voice.

 

Then whatever survivors you bring back get locked up in a stockade and court martialed. Or you let them go (exhiled), or have them pardoned. Then this adds a new dynamic after the events of Sierra Madre revisited as the survivors could break out, serve their time, try and kill you (if exhiled) or becomes a new companion.

Just throwing these ideas out there.

I think the motivation to save them will be much stronger for the player, if they are in teh situation through no fault of their own (ie good people following bad orders). This should be more likely to generate sympathy from the player, when they are in mortal danger. Plus you have fellowship with them, they'r your peeps now.

 

But if you have deserters, they'r in the position they'r in because of greed. There won't be as strong a motivation to save them since they put themselves in harms way. In addition you don't have the same fellowship as they'v abandoned the BOS's cause. Some players may even feel it's just rewards.

 

Plus with Elijah dead in some games, the setup/plot line of his distress call leading them into DM won't work.

 

On the other hand there is another character that could possibly be the cause of this disaster. Lars Taggart is thought by many to be incompetent (Linda Schuler thinks he's a buffoon), a lecher who is after apprentice Watkins (showing potentially poor judgement), and as head scribe *might* have the authority to order such a mission (I don't know for sure, I have no idea how the civilian and military command structures overlap and at what ranks).

[MarchUntoTorment]

Liking the camo recon armour, I think it'd be a really good lore addition as the Brotherhood begins to expand throughout the Mojave. Moreover, it'd make a fantastic way of showing how the Brotherhood was expanding/diversifying its tactics and evolving to fit a different battleground.

 

I'm with Devin here, that Elijah shouldn't be taking any major role in the storyline - since there's too many possible endings to him in Dead Money to compensate for everything. However, having Elijah show up on the radio rambling about an assortment of topics would be an absolutely fantastic addition, and - although I couldn't voice him for the life of me - I'd love to write up some radio broadcasts.

 

I like the idea of Hardin being our story's villain, and being the one to deploy forces to the Madre. Maybe he even leads off a split section of the Brotherhood, and the player has to deal with them. That could make an interesting post-game quest for the player to deal with, and a great way of showing the ideological troubles that the Brotherhood is dealing with.

 

Christine should definitely play a key role in this storyline, one way or another. She's probably the most well-characterised Brotherhood member in the game, aside from Veronica. However, I'm not sure what her role would be - suggestions here would be greatly appreciated. That said, I've wanted to do a proper job of turning her into a Mojave-based companion for ages, and I'm actually about 1/3 done on the necessary work for that mod - maybe we could think about integrating the two mods?

 

Oh, and Devin? That power-armoured Ghost People model is probably the coolest thing I've seen on the Nexus in a while. Arm them with a mixture of spear-like weapons from Bingle's pack and assorted power fists/ballistic weapons (the sheer impact of such devices would comfortably dismember Ghost People) and you've got a genuinely terrifying threat for high-level Couriers to deal with.

[Degby1]

Yeah I hear both of you regarding Elijah. I mentioned him as being the reason why the BoS went to the SM to get him. Dead or Alive, the BoS would want to confirm it either way. Then again it's stated that they have pretty much wrote him off.

 

It would be ironic if Hardin sent the squad of Paladins there. He chewed McNamara out for sending patrols into unsafe areas, but then makes the same mistake and the soldiers endure a fate worse than death. I'd imagine Hardin being an antagonist who would need to be dealt with one way or another eventually, and him sending a squad to their deaths would be reason enough. Working with what everyones agreed with thus far, what do we know about the BoS soldiers who went there. We are looking at roughly 8-12 Paladins. Lets say 2-3 survivors who need to be rescued. That leaves roughly 6-10 "Ghost Paladins" at the most. So they should be introduced as "boss" type of enemies, given that Ghost People are difficult to put down so in Power Armor, you're looking at an entity thats near impervious to attacks.

 

Now Christine - Being the warden, she would be aware of the BoS squads prescene. She could inform the player of where to go and direct them via "email updates" sent direct to the Pipboy. The voice could be spliced, or a new one given, seing as her voiced changed since being subjected to torture in the auto doc. You're mod probably could be integrated into this one seemlessly. Even if she was recruited before the events of this mod, she could be an optional companion who would a play a part in the story, much like the Sarah Conner companion and Angel Park 2.

 

Next, what happens upon the return to the Mojave. Is the SM sealed off for good, or is there a permanent outpost set up, utilising prototype hazmat suits that are unaffected by the toxic cloud? As for Hardin, does he threaten you to keep quite allowing you to kill him or is he struck off and court martialed?

Edited March 6, 2015 by Narmz

[Degby1]

Also, I'll be doing the same rexture to T51-B suits of power armor and Enclave Remnants PA. I've got a few armor and weapon ideas I want to share on here.

Heres 2 I did a while back, take a look XM16 GC