Municipal Plutonium Well

[mkborgelt13]

--What are they?

 

It looks like these were used to supply neighborhoods with electricity. We can see them going beneath the ground, for example Concord Civic Access, among other places.

 

 

 

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/0/01/FO4_MPW_logo.png/revision/latest?cb=20151215160336&path-prefix=ru

[Stargazer09]

You know, I've never notice it before...

[pra]

It was one of the first things I noticed, actually:

 

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/447364710888796782/B1E18936C474597BE77CC737D2A334F293C36E57/

 

This one was underground, in some sewer.

Maybe those are small breeding reactors which actually create plutonium, for municipal use?

[mkborgelt13]

Yeah, I think it is something like that. Still so many questions though. What is the screw-shaped central pipe? What was transported by this pipe, and in which direction?

 

If you look in the CK, there are 2 components that form the "top" of a Plutonium Well. There is a "Turbine" and a 'generator.' These are normally concealed beneath the red-and-white metal shroud that forms the dome thing on top of the column. In real life a generator drives a turbine which generates electricity. With the examples in Concord, and all the power lines coming from these things, it definitely looks like they supply power to nearby buildings.

 

The National Guard Training Yard has its own Plutonium Well, too.

 

Edit: In your screenshot the pipe is closed, but sometimes it is raised, exposing a hole beneath it. So mysterious.

These things might explain why lights and terminals still work, 200 years after the collapse of civilization. If they are some kind of self sustaining nuclear generator they could well last for over 200 years.

Edited July 26, 2016 by mkborgelt13

[Ethreon]

They're greebles. Not expected to have a lore or any purpose other than populate and decorate the environment. Reading the wiki entry, seems that Pu can be used as a valid power source, though it's rather expensive and difficult to deal with.

[mkborgelt13]

They are greebs, they are under that category in archive after all. But I disagree they have no lore or purpose. They are so meticulously arranged, with so many separate parts, that are labelled things like "core_retracted" and "turbine," the person who made these assets had some kind of mechanical purpose in mind. Which is surprising and appreciated after the mechanically impossible settlement generators.

 

I am thinking, they are some kind of long-term self sustaining, "slow burn" power generator, still working 200 years later. Like some kind of futuristic RTG. Go to Concord and look at the one near Fallon's, it has power lines attached to the column. Sure enough lighting in the houses still works.

 

I know I am overthinking this but it is fun.

[zanity]

A game design DEAD-END. Loads of good things were considered for FO4 in the early stages of dev, then dropped to save money on an already VERY small budget (given the earning potential of the game).

 

Look how the pre-apocalypse world of Fallout is 'nuclear-everywhere', and then notice how little this tech appears in gameplay, despite the presence of nuclear engines in vehicles etc across the wasteland.

 

I mean, Beth's moronic designers have you build PETROL engines for power- yet petrol was hardly used in this 'reality', and certainly wouldn't be available post-apoc.

 

But games like COD and Fallout are influenced by the desires of the US State Department- and this government body has VERY strict guidelines as to the propaganda ordinary US citizens should be exposed to with respect to certain key issues like Russia and nuclear power. Thus real named elements like PLUTONIUM are banned from a gameplay role, just as real names for the FO drugs were banned in FO3 and beyond.

[mkborgelt13]

I agree with you except for the last part. The U.S. government could care less what a computer game company is doing. Come on, they cannot even use email properly, how do you expect them to manage that kind of conspiracy...

 

The reason Morphine is renamed to Med-X is because frantic soccor moms don't want their kiddo's playing Heroin Hero.

 

The petrol engines do bother me. If you look at it, there is no means to generate power from combustion. It is literally a couple gas tanks and some tubing, with a vibrating red box. They need to get some designers with engineering background.

[CiderMuffin]

I agree with you except for the last part. The U.S. government could care less what a computer game company is doing. Come on, they cannot even use email properly, how do you expect them to manage that kind of conspiracy...

 

The reason Morphine is renamed to Med-X is because frantic soccor moms don't want their kiddo's playing Heroin Hero.

 

The petrol engines do bother me. If you look at it, there is no means to generate power from combustion. It is literally a couple gas tanks and some tubing, with a vibrating red box. They need to get some designers with engineering background.

Actually the reason was Australia is super strict when it comes to drug related things.

 

Now onto the topic and away from Zanity's crazy half-thought conspiracy theories. It's probably small fusion power plants, we see numerous businesses and buildings with their own fusion reactors so the wells could be something similar.

[mkborgelt13]

 

I agree with you except for the last part. The U.S. government could care less what a computer game company is doing. Come on, they cannot even use email properly, how do you expect them to manage that kind of conspiracy...

 

The reason Morphine is renamed to Med-X is because frantic soccor moms don't want their kiddo's playing Heroin Hero.

 

The petrol engines do bother me. If you look at it, there is no means to generate power from combustion. It is literally a couple gas tanks and some tubing, with a vibrating red box. They need to get some designers with engineering background.

Actually the reason was Australia is super strict when it comes to drug related things.

 

Now onto the topic and away from Zanity's crazy half-thought conspiracy theories. It's probably small fusion power plants, we see numerous businesses and buildings with their own fusion reactors so the wells could be something similar.

 

 

Yup that is exactly what I am thinking.

 

I had a thought recently --- the Plutonium Wells' outer shroud is painted the same colors as the Mass Fusion building. I read somewhere in game that Mass Fusion was a recent startup that was rapidly overtaking Poseiden as the energy supplier of the Boston area.

 

Now, perhaps the Plutonium Wells are in some way related to Mass Fusion. This explains why they are tacked onto the sides of older structures. The underground bit..... this is a stretch, but maybe there are underground conduits connecting to a Mass Fusion facility.