Team Project: What Providence Brings

[Flowerguy360]

Archibald Tesla, founder of Holo-Tek, inventor of the Holotape and a member of the team which made holographic technology a reality, drank himself to death after being driven out of business by the Enclave.

 

Before Vault-Tec was commissioned to build Vaults, Holo-Tek had been a competing government contractor in competition with Vault-Tec. In the end, however, nepotism won out, granting the contract for the Vaults to Vault-Tec. The fact that Archie would not play ball with the Enclave's social experiments likely had something to do with this, as well. Subsequent contracts went to other corporations, such as researching a cure to the New Plague (FEV) and, of course, the development of Fusion Core technology.

 

Any time Holo-Tek came close, corporate espionage struck or some claim of eminent domain was made by the government, and the research and work was confiscated. Eventually, Holo-Tek faced a hostile takeover from Poseidon Energy, and was no more.

 

But not before they had built a thousand Arks (knock-off Vaults). If the Federal Government wouldn't bite, local governments would: Chambers of Commerce, County Municipalities, you name it... many bought in to the idea of the Ark.

 

Unfortunately, over-budget and under-funded, many of these "Arks" were not designed for long-term habitation. Ultimately, after the bombs fell, many who made it to the Arks were forced to leave them in order to seek resources before it was safe to do so. Of those who survived, most were forced into a life of raiding other survivors, clinging from one meal to the next, and never finding peace. For generations, all they knew was war.

 

And war? War never changes.

 

What Providence Brings:

 

Three-quarters of Providence, R.I. lies in the Glowing Sea, and lies outside the broadcast range of the Classical Radio Station (so no Institute relays). To get there, you must locate an abandoned rail station at the far end of the Glowing Sea. From there you can ride two or three rail cars (due to collapsed tunnels) in varying condition, and emerge from a station in Providence, but still within the Glowing Sea (I call this quest Beyond The Sea, for the song).

 

Somewhere in the Institute lies a terminal that makes mention of the Symposium (this starts the quest). The Symposium is a council of Ivy League schools that survived the War, and have banded together to answer the question of what defines Mankind after the apocalypse (because the Institute cannot be alone). The Institute's answer, for example, was synthetic life.

 

Greene University's (Brown U, just like CIT is really MIT) survivors took refuge in an Ark, and like many before them, were forced to the surface a bit too early.

 

Greene U. had been known for its engineering and neuroscience programs (like Brown). Eventually the survivors created The Hill, trading in tech and medicine. Then one day they were contacted by survivors from Old Nassau Academy (Princeton), and a coalition was formed. Like the institutions they came from, the Symposium has a very exclusive membership.

 

Before the War, Greene U was up to all sorts of fun projects at the behest of the U.S. Govt. The Cybernetics program, a natural merger of engineering and medical expertise, was one of the best in the country.

 

As was Project Lazarus, an extension of the cybernetics program using FEV experimentation and nano-technology. It was Greene U. that finally found a solution to the crystallization problem and made cryogenics into a reality.

 

All of that had been abandoned after the War, though, in the simple struggle for survival. And then the Symposium was formed.

 

Dr. Stein, former faculty member and head of the Project, was made Chairperson for The Hill. She wasted no time in resurrecting the program, and soon The Hill had a small army of cybernetically enhanced FEV mutants. One of them, a formerly deceased Child of Atom who had taken the name of Tank (companion, also can kick off Beyond The Sea), escaped - and so it was that Francine Stein had Obedience Chips implanted into every new subject thereafter. To this day, The Hill continues its experiments, as it swells the ranks of its re-animated army with the bodies of the dead, and hunts the one that got away.

 

A program of great interest, at present, is the administration of several "Triage Camps" The Hill has established throughout the area under the guise of medical assistance and learning. In reality, the camps work as advertised, but also serve to turn the patients into human lab rats for nanite testing and medical research. Look at the bigger picture! It is, after all, in the best interest of humanity (this makes the locals heal more quickly and boosts rad resistance).

 

The population at large, the few whom have survived an encounter with one of The Hill's creations, call them "Monsters," because they have no other name for them. The majority of The Hill's Monsters reside in cryo-stasis in what remains of the Ark they took shelter in, and the tunnels that have been dug out since, for expansion. The population of Providence is largely unaware of The Hill's activities, and most view them favorably due to their charitable works in the Triage Camps.

 

There are, of course, other factions to be dealt with in Providence.

 

The Followers of the Apocalypse have established a small but dedicated outpost here, lead by a mysterious figure known only as Talius. Very few of the Followers have actually seen his face, but he is rumored to be a ghoul from a place called the NCR, and he is very old. The Followers in Providence are aware of The Hill's activities, and are active opponents of theirs and the Children of Atom, having long ago learned the dangers of FEV experimentation, and believing the Children to be dangerous nut-jobs. Another notable member is Fawkes, a civilized super mutant from the Capital Wasteland (non-recruitable) who, among others, provides security to the Followers' outpost.

 

Once their most significant adversaries, the Children of Atom have been all but crushed by the nearly mindless slaves of The Hill. Questline to infiltrate and destroy The Hill.

 

The Institute & The Railroad: This is the same as in the main game, but without relays and on a much smaller scale. The Railroad is trying to help escaped Synths get further away, and the Institute is hunting them. In Providence, the Railroad helped Tank in making his escape, and also have an active interest in freeing the minds and bodies of the Monsters under the Hill. They have yet, however, to successfully infiltrate this new enemy's ranks.

 

The Brotherhood of Steel has no presence in Providence, as they are not yet aware of the Symposium's existence. A Sole Survivor Paladin, however, may establish a small outpost (Settlement) there after learning of this new foe. Quest-line to build up BoS presence and destroy the Monsters or The Hill.

 

The Minutemen have no presence in Providence, but the General may establish outposts (Settlements) there after arriving. Quest-line to build up Minutemen in Providence, and steal nano-tech to clear the Glowing Sea of radiation. Preston may kick off the Beyond The Sea quest based on "rumors" he's heard, after the player has completed The Nuclear Option, if the player has not yet received it by then.

 

Rust Devils: This brand of raider actually originates from here. An off-shoot of The Hill, a handful of survivors formed the Rust Devils after emerging from the Ark and abandoning their fellow students. The Rust Devils of Providence are more sophisticated than their Commonwealth counterparts, using more advanced robots, Robot Power Armor, and sometimes even utilizing robot parts for cybernetic augmentation. Questline to join Rust Devils (depending how Nuka World does raider faction) and take over The Hill as a new base of operations.

 

Super Mutants: The Super Mutants of Providence are fairly typical, except that among their number one may occasionally find a Monster who was a failed experiment of The Hill and was subsequently discarded.

 

Companion - Tank: Rather than the Sole Survivor, Tank is the individual the main story arc of this project centers around. In life, Tank was a Child of Atom. It is not known how Tank died, but what is known is that he was brought back by The Hill using cybernetics and FEV. Tank wears long, hooded robes favored by many Children of Atom, and favors melee combat. His preferred weapon is the Deathclaw Gauntlet, but anything using hand to hand combat will do. If Tank has a mini-nuke in his inventory and his health bar drops below 10%, he will charge at his nearest enemy and detonate it in and attempt to achieve Division. Tank may be found in the Commonwealth along the Freedom Trail.

 

Tank's cybernetics leave him in a persistent state of agony, but also make him heal at an unnatural rate. It is Tank's greatest wish to die, preferably through Division, but due to the nanites in his body he has been unable to do so. Tank will make a compelling argument about his wish to die, and the player cannot change his mind. Most Fallout games involve a moral dilemma, and that is the function this story serves.

 

The main questline offers several possible endings:

1) TANK'S ENDING: Tank and the Sole Survivor make their way into the Hill's Catacombs, where they destroy the Nanite Master Control program and disable Tank's Nanites/Healing. The nanites in all Monsters are deactivated/destroyed, and the medical applications of the nanotechnology no longer work. After this, Tank will no longer use the SM Suicider script, and offers to accompany the player until they've found their son or their journey is complete. The Monsters are awakened and free, and The Hill survives (and they're hostile).

Tank is able to commit suicide at the end of the game, and does.

 

2) RAILROAD/FOLLOWERS ENDING: The Player and Tank convince Dr. Stein of the evil she has created, and the Lazarus Program is shut down. Unfortunately, the people of The Hill do not agree. Dr. Stein is accidentally killed when someone tries to shoot the player (cut scene), and battle ensues. Tank pushes the player from the control room and detonates a mini-nuke, destroying the Nanite Master Control, and killing himself and the attackers in the process. The Hill is destroyed, but the Monsters are awakened and free to live their own lives (again).

 

3.) INSTITUTE/HILL ENDING: The Player preserves the Nanite Master Control, siding with Dr. Stein and The Hill. Tank becomes aggressive and tries to kill the player. The Monsters remain enslaved, but a cure for cancer is discovered and distributed throughout New England, and the people of Providence are eventually "re-educated... for their own good" and become servants of The Hill. This comes too late to save Father.

 

4.) CHILDREN OF ATOM & BROTHERHOOD ENDING: The Player blows up The Hill, including the Monsters, Nanite Master Control, and its entire human population. Tank stays behind to successfully achieve Division.

 

5.) RUST DEVILS ENDING: The Player uses the Nanite Master Control to enslave the people of The Hill, freeing the Monsters and preserving the Nanite's medical benefits. The Hill becomes a possible settlement for a Raider/Slaver playthrough. Tank, in disgust, leaves the player's service.

 

6.) MINUTEMEN ENDING: The Player reprograms the Nanite Master Control to free the nanites and make them eat radiation. The nanites proceed to eat the radiation of their current hosts, including the hosts themselves (an unknown side-effect). The Cure is destroyed. The Hill's entire population is destroyed. The Monsters are destroyed, and Tank dies then and there. The population of Providence is decimated as Triage Camp patients are eaten alive from the inside (reduced encounters, friend and foe alike). Eventually, however, the Glowing Sea will clear and become habitable again (disables radstorms and greatly reduces Glowing Sea radiation levels).

 

Note: The Institute and The Hill are only two members of The Symposium, which could potentially be a much larger antagonist as the franchise moves forward.

 

Obviously this is incomplete, and I don't really see a need to develop it further unless other parties are interested in working on a project of this scope.

 

Please share your thoughts.

 

EDIT: Attached Document - WIP

Edited December 21, 2016 by Flowerguy360

[Flowerguy360]

Bumping this, because I can, and because of renewed interest.

[Degby1]

Is there an ETA on this? It's piqued my interest, and every outcome seems pretty dark.

[Flowerguy360]

Is there an ETA on this? It's piqued my interest, and every outcome seems pretty dark.

 

Unfortunately, no. I haven't heard from anyone else interested in helping with the project.

[CoreyN11388]

That's a shame, because this is huge, like, DLC huge. I love the idea.

[Degby1]

 

Is there an ETA on this? It's piqued my interest, and every outcome seems pretty dark.

 

Unfortunately, no. I haven't heard from anyone else interested in helping with the project.

 

What do you need help with specifically?

[Flowerguy360]

Sorry for the slow response. I would need a lot of help, primarily with world building and scripting for various quests and the like.

 

The reason for my slow response is three-fold; my laptop is out, and a number of repairs have failed to fix it. This greatly limits my online time, as it is effectively my work computer. I've been trying to use what time I have on other projects (some of which I'd like to incorporate into this one, if it ever gets off the ground). And aside from that, I wanted to put something more out there for this project;

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pDseRFPvZfnbeh474fjhD1JgsFZjZVQHfAP3UjZ_cJo/edit?usp=sharing

 

This write-up is a work in progress, but it should give some idea of how I'm envisioning a post-apocalyptic Providence. If anyone who happens to live there sees this, feel free to offer help. I know that some of this content, even once completed, would likely need to be cut due to constraints of anyone looking to help. And, again, I realize that it is incomplete. Again; I'm still working on it. And that's just the write-up of some of the geography.

 

Aside from that, help from more experienced hands who have maybe run a project of this kind of scope before would be tremendously helpful. I just started modding in May. I am out of my depth. But I think the idea has enormous potential, even if I am a bit biased.