Of UFO’s, Nazis and secret antarctic bases

[devinpatterson]

So for the very beginning of the plot line I can think of two basic story lines.

 

1. The antarctic base is set up for secrecy. ie. An alien saucer is captured and the SS move it to Antarctica via a ice breaker and set up a secret base to keep the tech secret from the allies.

 

or

 

2. The antarctic base is set up because there is something they want to study there. ie A alien mothership crashed in Antarctica 100's or possibly even 1000's of years ago and the SS base/research facility is built in and around the saucer. The saucer could be buried 2 or 3 kilometers below the ice with a small part of the german base on the surface.

 

Heres some facts we can use to weave into our story line;

 

In 1938, Nazi Germany undertook the most extensive research of Antarctica until that time, and claimed it as its own territory, naming it Neuschwabenland.

 

Between 1943 and 1945 the British launched a secret wartime Antarctic operation, code-named Tabarin. Men from the Special Air Services Regiment (SAS), Britain's covert forces for operating behind the lines, appeared to be involved.

 

In August 1946 operation highjump was launched which included 4,700 men, 13 ships, and multiple aircraft to teh same area. It ended 6 months earlier than planned in late February 1947.

 

In 1946, on the coast of Argentina, German submarines had been seen going towards the ice continent. It is suspected that elements of the German High Command had fled from justice and had found a base among the ruins of the dispersed civilization of Antarctica. ****note I havn't verified if this one is completely real or consipiracy stuff****

 

MV Joyita: A merchant vessel that mysteriously disappeared in South Pacific in 1955. On Oct 3 1955, it left Samoa's Apia harbour bound for the Tokelau Islands, about 270 miles away. Five weeks later, it was sighted partially submerged with no trace of any passengers or crew, with four tons of cargo also missing.

 

In 1958, three nuclear weapons were detonated in the region, as part of another classified US operation, code-named Argus.

 

So here's what I'm tentatively thinking;

 

We go with #2 (mothership buried in Antarctica) and the following;

Through their research and acquisition of occult resources the nazis stumble across a ancient scrolls, tomes or texts describing how the gods fell into the land of ice or some such. Having already found a small ship (like the one in FO3 near the beacon) they realized the importance of the alien tech.

 

Gathering the most talented physicists (already at work on the small alien ship) and their best/crack SS troops they land in antarctica and establish Neuschwabenland in 1938. Further inland in a treacherous mountain range they begin drilling through kilometers of ice.

 

From 1943 to 1945 the secret british operation code-named Tabarin is an attempt to recon the project and destroy it, ultimately failing.

 

In 1946, on the coast of Argentina, German submarines had been seen going towards the ice continent. Delivering top personal escaping from the war as well as any alien tech etc that was still in the mainland to the antarctic base

 

In August 1946 operation highjump is launched by he Americans with 4000 troops which also failed to destroy the antarctic base and the mission was aborted 6 months early.

 

From 1947 to 1948 various ships go missing in the antarctic shipping lines, some found wrecked some never explained. As the Nazis use their technology to raid cargo ships and destroy the evidence. But a mistake is made with the MV Joyita as it is found partially submerged with 4 tons of cargo missing and no sign of the crew in late 1948.

 

In early 1949 three nuclear weapons were detonated in the region, as part of another classified US operation, code-named Argus. Completely destroying the surface base and all personal, but unknown to the americans the bulk of the base and personal are 3 kilometers down in the mothership and shielded from any radiation effects (and most of the explosive damage as well). The operation is considered a complete success by the americans and after reconing the area all indications are that the nazi menace is finally over. Close inspection of the area is impossible due to the radiation.

 

The records are sealed, the area is marked "hot" as a result of the nuclear weapons testing and from the military's point of view that is the end of it.

 

From here we can assume the nazis take a completely different approach and realize even with their advanced technology they are no match for a whole nation. They slowly dig out creating some ice tunnels to hidden areas in the mountainside for their saucers when they need to enter the outside world, completely hiding any evidence of their existence. Staying almost exclusively in the mothership protected from the rads.

 

The only clues to their existence the occasional missing cargo ship or the sighting of a strange light in the antarctic sky. While learning more and more about the alien tech. They bid their time, their hate growing with each passing day.

 

The only thing I havn't figured out for the plot line is why they are just coming out now, instead of right after the war.

[devinpatterson]

Here's some ideas I've had.

 

• All of the Nazi characters should have blonde hair and blue eyes, for obvious reasons.
  
• There should be live aliens in holding cells, and maybe even some dissected alien bodies on tables in science labs. These are Nazis we're talking about; they're cruel, and their treatment of alien test subjects should reflect that. It can almost be enough to invoke some feelings of sympathy from players.
  
• For outfits, we might be able to convince Fizz99 to let us use his Nida Scheutlich outfit as a base, and we can simply retexture it. It has a Nazi-ish feel to it; all we'd need to do is add some Iron Cross or Swastika regalia to it, and it would make a perfect outfit for female officers.
  
• The Nazis should be using almost exclusively energy weapons. We can definitely include some classic German WWII-era weapons on display, but as for what they themselves will be using, they should have been able to reverse-engineer alien technology and should be using energy weapons.
  
• Remember that second mothership from Motership Zeta that was destroyed by the Courier? THAT should be the main project for the Nazis. Somehow, I don't think a technologically-advanced group of people would miss to objects in space shooting Death Rays at each other. When the second Mothership was destroyed, the Nazis could have dispatched salvage crews to gather pieces of it when it fell down to earth, and are studying it.
  

 

Yeah the blonde hair and blue eyes thing can also tie into genetic research/cloning tech and of course the uber super soldiers.

Sure, the aliens could still be there, for all we know they may live 100's or 1000's of years.

The outfit (Nida Scheutlich) would be pretty good for femal officers.

re: the energy weapons yeah, that's true

Good point, recovering the wrecked mothership could be the encounter that begins the story. I wonder if we shouldn't also involve the surviving mothership in some way (ie having to fight off a nazi boarding party).

 

 

 

There should be an option to join them, too. I'd hate to have to bust into a veritable treasure trove of technology, and be forced to kill everyone inside and lose everything they've been studying. To accomplish this, I've had some ideas:

 

Yeah we've been talking about the evil option on the private forum. TrooperScooperMKII actually wants them to become a full fledged super faction that begins to conquer the New vegas wasteland, but I don't want anything as extensive as that.

 

 

• We can base this process off of the upcoming Old World Blues DLC. They take you prisoner, but their leader decides you might be useful. They let you out, and have you take a look at a piece of technology that has them stumped; maybe the Death Ray of the destroyed second Motership that they managed to piece back together. They demand you take a look at it, and with either a Science, Repair, or Energy Weapons check, you can surmise what's wrong with it.
  
• This impresses their leader greatly, who has a "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT" moment. They then decide you're way more useful to them alive than dead. After that, you simply help them out (if you choose), and they eventually ask if you want to join them. This is where you can choose either to join them properly, or betray them as soon as you have access to one of their guns. What happens from here we can decide later.
  

 

Thats a good idea, but I'd take it a step further and say that they may use you for their own ends but *will* ultimately betray the player. While the player is useful to them in regards to his/her skills and knowledge of the post apocalyptic world, they will never consider him an equal and always think of him/her as impure. They will hide this as long as the deceit is useful for them.

 

 

One note: Yes, I know these are Nazis, and are probably racist and antisemitic, and likely wouldn't let you join them if they knew you were a different race than them. But I was thinking; they've been isolated for centuries, and probably don't even know what a Jewish person or someone who isn't Aryan looks like anymore. Something to think about.

 

I think we should keep all of their evil/racist nature. Thats the thing about nazis, they are villians through and through, no guilt about piling up a mountain of SS corpses. Just because they wouldn't accept you doesn't mean they wouldn't pretend to if it suited their needs.

Edited May 14, 2011 by devinpatterson

[devinpatterson]

Oh and i just had an idea. What if the the mothership couldn't protect the nazis in the antarctic base from the radiation of near strike (3km away) nuke? What if they are forced into cryogenic chambers due to the rads and set timers to come out when the rads have died down. Thus emerging into our current time. This is also good for a plot line because we can kill off how ever many people we want in the nuclear blast from radiation poisoning to make the mothership level contain the number of npc's we want and it would all hold together in re: to the storyline.

[devinpatterson]

I wonder if we could use the ghost breather or the NV rebreather as a WWII gas mask. That''d look cool. Just retexture it to black.

 

Maybe use the whole ghost head, they had a cool helmet goggle with glowing eyes thing going on.

[OldCoot46]

Well, this sounds awesome. I'm not a modder, but I would be willing to help beta test and give feedback on it.

[devinpatterson]

Well, this sounds awesome. I'm not a modder, but I would be willing to help beta test and give feedback on it.

 

Cool, and feel free to post any thoughts that you may have, we're in the planning stages at the moment and all ideas are welcome.

[MajikMoshos]

This sounds pretty cool. If I remember MSZ correctly, a HUGE chunk of the spaceship fell to earth and was pretty intact. Discovering something like that sticking out of the wasteland like a sore thumb would be pretty damn cool. I'd imagine it could be located off map somewhere.

 

Explore it, find some working tech and really, really valuable loot and maybe a few surviving aliens (who may or may not help you - Alien companion anyone?) and then go after the signal in the antarctic after fixing up one of the scout ships. Inevitably wake up the Nazis and go on from there.

 

Maybe rescuing the aliens could be a dilemma of some kind, where doing so would destroy the nazi ship base and ruin your chances of aquiring certain items BUT would earn you a kick-ass companion/allied faction for the final battle. Is it possible to code in ending slides? There already is an alien companion mod out there (See Here), but one could build up something greater since this would be a whole damn quest mod anyway.

[miscdude]

The only problem with making the Nazis wake up in a cryogenic chamber is that you lose that "They've been working on this for years" bit, and there is a lot less creative freedom as far as possible new tech and the ability to make a facility that wouldn't be new to them too. You should also think about how you will begin the quest, how you'll get to the arctic from New Vegas without a vertibird or something. Maybe you find some sort of alien teleporting device where you find the alien blaster in the Mojave? Just a few thoughts.

[devinpatterson]

This sounds pretty cool. If I remember MSZ correctly, a HUGE chunk of the spaceship fell to earth and was pretty intact. Discovering something like that sticking out of the wasteland like a sore thumb would be pretty damn cool. I'd imagine it could be located off map somewhere.

 

Explore it, find some working tech and really, really valuable loot and maybe a few surviving aliens (who may or may not help you - Alien companion anyone?) and then go after the signal in the antarctic after fixing up one of the scout ships. Inevitably wake up the Nazis and go on from there.

 

Maybe rescuing the aliens could be a dilemma of some kind, where doing so would destroy the nazi ship base and ruin your chances of aquiring certain items BUT would earn you a kick-ass companion/allied faction for the final battle. Is it possible to code in ending slides? There already is an alien companion mod out there (See Here), but one could build up something greater since this would be a whole damn quest mod anyway.

 

Hmmmm interesting idea about the alien companion. That would have some possibilities. Perhaps even the key to destroying the antarctic saucer. If the alien is a tech/engineer or knowledgeable about teh ships sub-systems he could know how to trigger the self destruct system or inform the player how to destroy the ships main powersource/reactor. Perhaps much like shutting off the cooling nodes in zeta. If the nazis are overwhelmingly powerful (and they will be tough if they have the alien shields) and numerous blowing up the antarctic saucer may be the only way to win/survive.

 

And although the idea of waking up the nazis is interesting, I think it would be more interesting if they have been active a few years. Becoming proficient in alien energy weapons & sheilds.

Edited May 16, 2011 by devinpatterson

[devinpatterson]

The only problem with making the Nazis wake up in a cryogenic chamber is that you lose that "They've been working on this for years" bit, and there is a lot less creative freedom as far as possible new tech and the ability to make a facility that wouldn't be new to them too. You should also think about how you will begin the quest, how you'll get to the arctic from New Vegas without a vertibird or something. Maybe you find some sort of alien teleporting device where you find the alien blaster in the Mojave? Just a few thoughts.

 

Oh were not limited to having them wake up in this time frame. I imagined them waking up at least a few years before the couriers adventures begin. I want them to be proficient in alien weaponry, shields and ships. I also wouldn't mind them making some hybrid weapons. Weapons based on their technology but enhanced with alien tech.

 

But in regard to your question about travel to the antarctic; Perhaps there will be the crash of the destroyed mothership (its' orbit finally decays and is seen as a glowing fireball across the night sky of the Mojave) . Which the nazis will send 2 or 3 scoutships out to scavenge. A lot depends on what models are available for the saucer. I havn't even had a chance to look (because the zeta stuff is hidden from the geck). But it would be cool to make a new worldspace with part of the saucer jutting up from a mountain range. As you can imagine there will be conflict with the nazis and exploration of the interior of the hulk.

 

But ultimately at the end of the adventure it could lead to being a prisoner, a stowaway or even commandeering a saucer. Depending on which of these happen it could result in starting outside the base or inside (as a stealth infiltration or as a prisoner), plus there will probably be an option to join them as well.

 

Also good idea on the alien transporter, that would be a awesomely easy way to beam into the other ship now that it is (assumed to be at least partially) repaired the nazis. Perhaps the alien ships were here to retrieve the antarctic hulk....

 

But everything is in play at the moment and I'd love to hear all ideas.